An exemplary embodiment of a chess game variant comprises a game board and four sets of eighteen chess pieces each. The game board has an inner zone and four panel zones thereabout. The inner zone presents eighty-one playing positions in a nine-by-nine square array. Each panel zone presents twenty-seven playing positions arranged in a three-by-nine rectangular array. The board includes universal rows which adapt for chess-like play on an unbalanced board. Each set of game pieces include institutional pieces and citizen pieces. Most of the citizen pieces are matched in status with corresponding institutional pieces, and are subject to rules of promotion which are driven, in part, by these status relationships. Most of the game pieces include covert or overt markings, which also drive game play and strategy. In certain aspects of game play, a player may take control of the game pieces of one or more opposing players.

Methods and apparatuses for word games in which a non-acting player may score points based on a score awarded to an acting player.

An exemplary embodiment of a chess game variant comprises a game board and four sets of eighteen chess pieces each. The game board has an inner zone and four panel zones thereabout. The inner zone presents eighty-one playing positions in a nine-by-nine square array. Each panel zone presents twenty-seven playing positions arranged in a three-by-nine rectangular array. The board includes universal rows which adapt for chess-like play on an unbalanced board. Each set of game pieces include institutional pieces and citizen pieces. Most of the citizen pieces are matched in status with corresponding institutional pieces, and are subject to rules of promotion which are driven, in part, by these status relationships. Most of the game pieces include covert or overt markings, which also drive game play and strategy. In certain aspects of game play, a player may take control of the game pieces of one or more opposing players.

A racing game and a method for playing the game. The method includes providing the racing game, generating the at least two random numbers, wherein an at least one player uses the at least two random number generators to generate the at least two random numbers, and advancing the at least one game piece representing the at least one player that corresponds to the at least two random numbers generated. One of the random number generators is used to determine lane choice for at least one player, along which the at least one game piece is advanced during game play.

A game and method of play are provided herein. In an embodiment, a playing field is provided as a board marked with spaces. A plurality of visually different groups of pieces are provided, one group each corresponding to one player, and are placed in a prescribed pattern so that each player begins the game with an equal opportunity to win. A pool of prompts selectably instructing progression of game play is also provided. Each player may construct his own set of prompts from the pool. Then, executing turns in sequence, each player may invoke prompts from his own set against opposing players, causing pieces to be removed from the playing field until only one, indicating the winner, remains. The prompts may be printed on stylized playing cards which may be collectable and/or tradable, so that players may continue to customize sets of prompts available to invoke over time.

The present invention provides a game that enhances communication skills. The game provides a series of fun communication challenges utilizing detailed pictures and objects to challenge the descriptive abilities of players and/or teams. It includes processes which reward players according to how well puzzles are answered/solved. The game/system positions players where they must rely solely upon verbal-only explanations/instructions from team members to solve puzzles. It also includes a unique scoring system to accurately score puzzles after each challenge.

A computer-implemented method for playing chess between first and second player each of whom in turn moves a selected chess piece across a chess board in conformity with predefined rules and each having a respective display device. Information relating to a current state of the board is relayed to each respective display device, each player making alternate moves and receiving information representative of a resulting chess board wherein an identity and source location of a piece moved by either one of the players is revealed to a respective opponent but a destination location of the moved piece is not explicitly relayed to the opponent until immediately after the opponent makes a move. At any stage during play an attempted illegal move that does not conform to the predefined rules is ignored while notifying the player who made the illegal move and prompting him to make a different move.

A method disclosed herein provides close interaction and participation for a user while a story line is unveiled. At least part of the story is present in a grid, and the story line is discovered by a user in a manner similar to solving a crossword puzzle.

A word game and method of playing the word game comprising providing a main word or phrase (Theme Word), and a group of existing words (Puzzle Words), wherein each letter from the Theme Word is used once to form a different word (Solved Word) when added to a Puzzle Word. In one example form of the game, multiple letters from the Theme Word may be added to a single Puzzle Word to form a single Solved Word. The letters from the Theme Word may be added anywhere to the Puzzle Word in order to form a new Solved Word. In one example form, the order of the letters in Puzzle Word may not be changed. In another example form of the game, the letter from the Theme Word may not be added to the end of the Puzzle Word. The game will be considered solved when all of the letters of the Theme Word have been successfully combined once with a Puzzle Word such that each letter has been used with a Puzzle Word to form a Solved Word.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for a board game or an electronic version of the same, including a match-3 component and a strategy game piece component. The game may be implemented as a physical board game or as a computer-executed application. Matches of three or more tokens or icons result in an effect that is applied to game pieces of the player who made the match and/or an opponent of the player who made the match. The effect on game pieces resulting from a match are limited to game pieces positioned within the rows and/or columns that correspond to the rows and/or columns within which the matched tokens or icons are positioned.