CHESS GAME HAVING CAMOUFLAGED PIECES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chess kit having a substantially flat playing surface with a plurality of spaces and a plurality of game pieces, each game piece being identical in shape and color to the other game pieces such that the game pieces are indistinguishable from one another when placed upright in a playing configuration, each piece having a marking on its bottom side with an indication of which type of chess piece the game piece has the movement characteristics of.

Claims

1. A chess kit consisting essentially of: a substantially flat playing surface having a plurality of spaces; and a plurality of game pieces, each game piece being identical in shape and color to the other game pieces such that the game pieces are indistinguishable from one another when placed upright in a playing configuration, each piece having a marking on its bottom side with an indication of which type of chess piece the game piece has the movement characteristics of.

2. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein the marking further indicates which player the game piece belongs to.

3. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein the marking on the bottom side of each game piece includes a word corresponding to the type of chess piece the game piece has the movement characteristics of.

4. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein the marking on the bottom side of each game piece includes a symbol corresponding to the type of chess piece the game piece has the movement characteristics of.

5. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein the marking on the bottom side of each game piece comprises paint.

6. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein the marking on the bottom side of each game piece comprises an engraving.

7. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein each game piece is white.

8. The chess kit of claim 1, wherein each game piece is a substantially cylindrical shape.

9. A method for playing chess with indistinguishable game pieces, comprising: a check piece rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of a particular game piece, states his or her belief as to the identity of that game piece, and loses his or her next turn if the stated belief is incorrect.

10. A method for playing chess with indistinguishable game pieces, comprising: a check move rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of the opponent's most recently moved game piece.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if the checked game piece was not moved in accordance with the rules associated with the identity of that game piece in the opponent's previous turn, the checked game piece is removed from the game.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if the checked piece defeated another game piece in the opponent's previous turn, the defeated game piece is returned to the game.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the defeated game piece is returned to the game on the position on the playing surface it most recently occupied.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein if the checked game piece was moved in accordance with the rules associated with the identity of that game piece in the opponent's previous turn, the player who wished to check the identity of that game piece loses a game piece of his or her own.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the lost game piece is equivalent to the piece that was checked.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] One aspect of the present invention relates to a chess kit having a substantially flat playing surface with a plurality of spaces and a plurality of game pieces, each game piece being identical in shape and color to the other game pieces such that the game pieces are indistinguishable from one another when placed upright in a playing configuration, each piece having a marking on its bottom side with an indication of which type of chess piece the game piece has the movement characteristics of.

[0004] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for playing chess with indistinguishable game pieces, including a check piece rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of a particular game piece, states his or her belief as to the identity of that game piece, and loses his or her next turn if the stated belief is incorrect.

[0005] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for playing chess with indistinguishable game pieces, including a check move rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of the opponent's most recently moved game piece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

[0007] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a chess kit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

[0008] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of several game pieces of the chess kit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms a, an and the are not limited to one element but instead should be read as meaning at least one. The words right, left, lower, and upper designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words inwardly or distally and outwardly or proximally refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center or orientation of the device and instruments and related parts thereof. The terminology includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

[0010] It should also be understood that the terms about, approximately, generally, substantially and like terms, used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention, indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally the same or similar, as would be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, a first preferred embodiment of a chess kit 10 is disclosed. The chess kit 10 preferably includes a substantially flat playing surface 12 having a plurality of spaces 14, which are preferably square in shape. The playing surface 12 preferably includes sixty-four (64) spaces 14 arranged in an eight by eight (88) configuration as shown in FIG. 1. The chess kit 10 further preferably includes a plurality of game pieces 16, more preferably at least thirty-two (32) game pieces 16, each game piece 16 being identical in shape and color to the other game pieces such that the game pieces are indistinguishable from one another when placed upright in a playing configuration.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, each game piece 16 is preferably marked on its bottom side with an indication of which type of chess piece the game piece 16 has the movement characteristics of, such as the white knight, black bishop, and black pawn that are shown. The marking of each game piece 16 may consist of words, as shown by the White Knight and Black Bishop in FIG. 2, a colored symbol, as shown by the black pawn in FIG. 2, or any other type of marking sufficient to identify each game piece 16. The markings may be painted on to each game piece 16, engraved in each game piece 16, or marked in any other way sufficient to make clear to a player which chess piece each game piece 16 corresponds to. The game pieces of the preferred chess kit 10 are preferably white in color and cylindrical in shape, but may be any color and shape suitable for designating game pieces 16 so long as each game piece 16 is identical.

[0013] The chess kit 10 is preferably used in accordance with traditional rules of chess, with certain additional rules described herein to account for players' inability to identify each game piece 16. One such rule is a check piece rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of a particular game piece 16 to ensure the player's memory of the game piece 16 is correct, preferably by announcing Check Piece to the opposing player before taking his or her turn. The player then identifies a particular game piece 16 that he or she desires to check, states his or her belief as to the chess piece that the identified game piece 16 corresponds to, and inspects the bottom of the game piece 16 for confirmation of the game piece 16's identity. If the player is correct, he or she can proceed with his or her turn as normal, aided by the confirmation of his or her knowledge of the identity of that game piece 16. If the player is incorrect, he or she loses his or her turn and the opposing player is then allowed to make a move.

[0014] Another additional rule is a check move rule, wherein a player states that he or she wishes to check the identity of the opponent's most recently moved game piece 16 to ensure that the piece 16 was moved correctly, preferably by announcing Check Move at the conclusion of the opposing player's turn. This can be particularly significant if that piece 16 has just captured a game piece 16 owned by the checking player. The challenger is thus permitted to inspect the bottom of the opponent's most recently moved game piece 16 for confirmation of that piece 16's identity. If the game piece 16 was not moved in accordance with the rules associated with the identity of that game piece 16 in the opponent's most recent turn, the checked game piece 16 is removed from the game. In one embodiment of the present invention, if the removed game piece 16 defeated another game piece 16 in the previous turn, the previously defeated piece 16 may be returned to the game, either in the space 14 it was previously removed from or at another space 14, such as in the row of spaces 14 closest to the player, or according to any other rule agreed to by the players before the game. In another embodiment of the present invention, the previously defeated game piece 16 is not returned to the game. In the opposing scenario, where the checked game piece 16 was moved correctly in the preceding turn, the player who initiated the check move rule is forced to remove one of his or her game pieces 16 from the game. Various embodiments of this rule including removing a piece 16 of the opponent's choosing or removing a piece 16 equivalent to the piece 16 that was checked.

[0015] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the present disclosure.