GAME SET

Abstract

There is provided a game set including a plurality of pieces that have p types and includes at least n pieces for each of the types, and a board. On a surface of the board, guide images are formed so as to be arranged on lattice points of r rows and c columns and give guidance on placement locations of the pieces. The number p of types is greater than or equal to a number of r or c, whichever is greater. The number n of pieces of each type is greater than or equal to a number of r or c, whichever is smaller. The at least pn pieces have a plurality of faces that are distinguishable from one another.

Claims

1. A game set comprising: a plurality of pieces comprising p types of pieces and, for each p types of pieces, n types of pieces, wherein p and n are both integers of 2 or more; and a board, wherein, on a surface of the board, guide images are formed so as to be arranged on lattice points of r rows and c columns and give guidance on placement locations of the pieces, and the p types of pieces is greater than or equal to a number of r or c, whichever is greater, i.e., the number of r or c if the numbers are identical, and the n types of pieces for each of the p types of pieces is greater than or equal to a number of r or c, whichever is smaller, i.e., the number of r or c if the numbers are identical, and pn pieces have a plurality of faces that are distinguishable from one another.

2. The game set according to claim 1, wherein a substitute image substituted for each of the pieces is formed on an extension line in at least one of a row direction and a column direction in the guide images.

3. The game set according to claim 2, wherein the substitute image is an image that corresponds to one of the faces distinguishable from each other of each of the pieces.

4. The game set according to claim 3, wherein the number of faces distinguishable from each other of each of the pieces is two, and the substitute image on the extension line in the row direction of the guide image is an image corresponding to one of the two mutually distinguishable faces, and the substitute image on the extension line in the column direction is an image corresponding to the other of the two mutually distinguishable faces.

5. The game set according to claim 1, further comprising: a box capable of containing the pieces with the board used as a lid, wherein a periphery of the board and a periphery of an opening of the box are magnetically engaged with each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a general outline of a game set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a guide image formed on a game board according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams illustrating examples of pieces used in the game set according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of the guide image formed on the game board according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of data contents held by a processor that executes a game according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an example of the game set according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of rules for a game that can be played with the game set according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of rules for the game (English version) that can be played with the game set according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0017] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a relation between a board and box included in the game set according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a game set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a board 11, a box body 12, and a plurality of piece members 13. Note that sizes and ratios of the board 11, box body 12, piece members 13, etc., in the following description are merely examples, and these may have sizes and ratios different from those described below.

[0019] The board 11 is a rectangular (may be square) plate, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, at least one surface thereof has a placement field 110 formed thereon that includes placement locations (hereinafter referred to as squares) 111 for the piece members 13, arranged on lattice points of r rows and c columns (r and c are both integers greater than or equal to 2).

[0020] In the example of FIG. 2, a square placement field 110 is surrounded by a peripheral line 110a, and the square area surrounded by this peripheral line 110a is divided into rc squares congruent to each other by line segments 110b that separate the squares 111, thereby clearly indicating the squares 111. In this example, each of the squares 111 is formed to be a square larger than the circumscribing rectangle of the piece member 13, and, for example, its center corresponds to the lattice point. Note that, in the example of FIG. 2, r=c=4 is satisfied, but this is just an example, and the numbers may be different from this. Further, r and c may be different numbers from each other. Even in the case where r and c are different numbers from each other, respective squares 111 may be congruent squares to each other, and in this case the shape of the placement field will be a rectangle with a ratio of r:c.

[0021] The player advances the game by placing the piece members 13 within the squares 111 in the placement field 110, serving as the guide image. In the present embodiment, the board 11 may be formed of a material that can be attracted by magnetic force, such as a ferromagnetic material, or may be formed of wood, plastic, or other materials that may not be attracted by magnetic force. Further, the material does not necessarily have to be of one type, and the periphery of the main body made of plastic may be surrounded by a metal frame. In this example, the periphery is formed of metal.

[0022] The box body 12 has a quadrangular prism-shaped main body 121, and a slightly deep quadrangular prism-shaped storage section 122 is formed inside this main body 121. The top surface of this box body 12 has substantially the same size as the board 11 and has an opening 123 that communicates with the storage section 122. Through this opening 123, the piece members 13 can be stored in the storage section 122.

[0023] The opening 123 is formed smaller than the board 11 such that the opening 123 can be closed by using the board 11 as a lid. Furthermore, in this example, at least the peripheral portion (the area overlapping the outer periphery of the opening 123) of the board 11, which serves as the lid, is made of a material that can be attracted by magnetic force, such as a ferromagnetic material, and permanent magnets 125 are arranged at a plurality of positions on a periphery 124 of the opening 123 of the box body 12 to enable the board 11 to be engaged. However, as long as the board 11 is attachable and removable, the method of engagement does not have to be magnetic, and various known engagement methods can be used, such as a method of forming a slit on an inner surface of the periphery 124 on the storage section 122 side so as to be able to insert the board 11 into this slit to close the opening 123 with the board 11, or a method of forming a protrusion (opening peripheral protrusion) on the periphery of the opening and forming a projected leg on the outer periphery of a bottom surface of the board 11 (the surface on which the placement field 110 is not formed), which circumscribes this opening peripheral protrusion (i.e., its inner periphery comes into contact and engages with the protrusion).

[0024] The piece member 13 is a kind of flat member, as its plan view (front side: FIG. 3A) and bottom view (back side: FIG. 3B) are illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and there are p types that are distinguishable from each other and at least n pieces of each type, and the front and back are colored in different colors as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Further, the piece members 13 have different outer shapes for respective types. However, the circumscribing rectangles in a plan view of all the types of outer shape are the same (i.e., the length and width are the same). Note that p and n are both integers of 2 or more.

[0025] In addition, here the number p of types is equal to or greater than the number of rows r or the number of columns c of the guide image formed on the board 11, whichever is greater, (if the numbers are the same, the number of r or c), and the number n of pieces of each type is equal to or greater than the number of r or c, whichever is smaller (if the numbers are the same, the number of r or c).

[0026] In the present embodiment, since r=c=4 is set, there are at least four types of piece members 13 and n is also at least four. In the following example, it is assumed that there are four types of piece members 13, which have circular, X-shaped, triangular, and square external shapes as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B and are distinguishable from one another. Also, it is assumed that n=4, and four pieces are prepared for each type.

[0027] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the front and back surfaces of this piece member 13 are colored in different colors (e.g., white and black), so that they can be distinguished from each other. However, this is just one example, and for example, the shape of the piece member 13 may be a cube, the type of the piece member 13 may be represented by a figure formed on the surface of the cube by printing or otherwise, and each of the six faces of the cube may be distinguishable from the others (by painting each in a different color or by marking each with a different letter or number, for example).

[0028] A game set according to one example of the present embodiment includes the above configuration, and therefore, can be used to play a game such as the following example.

Game Example 1

[0029] In the following example, it is assumed that p=4 types, n=4, and the placement locations of the piece members 13 formed on the board 11 are arranged in r=4 rows and c=4 columns. In this example where r=c, the squares 111 as the placement locations are arranged in a square shape, and the number of squares on the diagonal line is also r, or c.

[0030] The rules of this Game Example 1 are as follows: [0031] The game is played by two players. [0032] Each player starts the game with the above-mentioned four types of piece members 13two pieces for each (a total of eight pieces). [0033] Each player takes turns placing a piece member 13 held by them on an empty square 111 of the board 11. [0034] One player places a piece member 13 on the board with the white side facing up, and the other player places a piece member 13 on the board with the black side facing up. [0035] When a piece member 13 is placed in a square 111 with a certain color (here called a color of move) side facing up (hereinafter this will be expressed as placing the piece member 13 of the color of move), if a piece member 13 of that color of move is already placed in another square 111 in the row or column direction from that square 111, and between that square 111 where the piece member 13 is already placed and the square 111 where the piece member 13 has just been placed, there are no empty squares and further only a piece member 13 with the face of a color other than the color of move facing up is placed in a square 111, the face of the other color of the piece member 13 (there may be a plurality of pieces) is replaced with the face of the color of move (in this example, the piece member 13 is flipped over).

[0036] Up to this point, the rules are substantially the same as the rules of the original reversi where the game starts without placing any piece member 13 on the board, but the conditions for ending the game are different from those of the reversi. That is, according to the rules of the game in the present embodiment, the game is set to end in the following cases. [0037] (1) The piece members 13 of one player's color of move are lined up in a line (row or column direction, or diagonally), and there are no piece members 13 of the same type in that line (end condition 1). In this case, the player of that color of move will be declared the winner. In addition, [0038] (2) The game also ends when neither player can place any piece members 13 (end condition 2), and when the game ends due to the end condition 2, the player having more piece members 13 with the player's color facing up than the other player wins.

[0039] Due to this end condition 1, for example, in a certain column (hereinbelow, for convenience, the four types of piece members 13 are represented as A, B, C, and D (top is white) and a, b, c, and d (top is black), and an empty square is represented as S), and when the pieces are arranged as [0040] abSS [0041] and the black side player's turn comes next (the turn of the player who places a piece member 13 with the black side facing up, this will be noted in a similar way below), in the case where there is no C piece member 13 among the piece members 13 held (not yet placed) by the white side player, when the black side player uses a B type piece member 13 to make [0042] abBS [0043] (in this case, since there are no black piece members 13 with which a and b are sandwiched, ABBS is not made), even if the white side player places some type of piece member 13 in the last blank to make abbx, the game does not end because the same type of piece member 13 exists in this row.

[0044] This allows the black side player to make it difficult for the white side player to win, thus enabling the black side player to restrict the white side player's predominance.

[0045] In the case of implementing a player of this game by using a computer program, the processor of an information processing device such as a home game console can be made to list a plurality of candidate moves in order of advantageousness, and it is sufficient if the most advantageous move is selected from among them in consideration of the above-mentioned rule that placing a plurality of piece members 13 of the same type in a row or column does not result in a win. This type of processing can be achieved by modifying the widely known reversi program.

Game Example Using Substitute Images

[0046] In yet another example of the present embodiment, substitute image that serves as a substitute for the piece member 13 in the game may be formed on an extension line in at least one of the row and column directions of the squares 111 arranged on the board 11.

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates another example of the guide image formed on the board 11, different from that illustrated in FIG. 2. Also in this example, on one side of the board 11, mutually congruent squares 111 are represented by forming the peripheral line 110a of a square placement field 110 and the line segments 110b that divide the square area surrounded by this peripheral line 110a into a lattice of r rows and c columns (r and c are both integers of 2 or greater) within this area. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 2, each of the squares 111 has a square shape larger than the circumscribing rectangle of the piece member 13, and is arranged, so that its center is located at the lattice point.

[0048] The example of FIG. 4 of the present embodiment further differs from that illustrated in FIG. 2 in that a substitute image 112 that can be used in place of the piece member 13 in the game is formed outside the placement field 110 and on at least one of the row direction extension line and column direction extension line of the squares 111 (on extension lines in both directions in FIG. 4).

[0049] Here, the substitute image 112 may function as a substitute for any piece member 13, but as corresponding to any of the distinguishable faces of the piece members 13, it may also be a substitute image representing the corresponding face (for example, a white or black image is set) so as to be used in the game as a substitute for the piece member 13 placed with the corresponding face facing up. In addition, regarding the type, this may be usable as a type different from any type of piece members 13, or information identifying the type as corresponding to any type of piece member 13 may be represented as the substitute image 112.

[0050] In the example of FIG. 4, the number of identifiable faces of the piece member 13 is two, and the substitute image 112 located on the row direction extension line of the squares 111 as the guide image is an image that represents one of the two distinguishable faces from each other. For example, in the case where the two identifiable sides of the piece member 13 are one face colored white and the other face colored black as in the example already described, the substitute image 112 on the row direction extension line of the squares 111 will be a black dot, and will be treated as a substitute for a piece member 13 placed with the black side facing up although it is different from any type of piece member 13.

[0051] Further, in this case, the substitute image 112 on the column direction extension line of the squares 111 as the guide images is an image that represents the other of the two mutually distinguishable faces (i.e., in this example, an image representing the white face). In the example of FIG. 4, this substitute image 112 will be a white dot and will be treated as a substitute for a piece member 13 placed with the white side facing up, although it is different from any type of piece member 13. In addition, in FIG. 4, the white dots are represented as circles, for convenience, but it is preferable that it is clear that they are simply white dots in reality and are different from the white circular piece members 13.

Game Example 2

[0052] By using the board 11 of this example of the present embodiment, the following game can be played. The basic rules are similar to those in the example using the board 11 in FIG. 2 already described.

[0053] That is, in this case, basically the rules stipulating as follows are used. [0054] The game is played by two players. [0055] Each player starts the game with four types of piece members 13 (each of which is identifiable by a circular, X-shaped, triangular, and square shape)two pieces for each (a total of eight pieces). [0056] Each player takes turns placing a piece member 13 they have in hand on an empty square 111 on the board 11. [0057] One player places a piece member 13 on the board with the white side facing up, and the other player places a piece member 13 on the board with the black side facing up. [0058] When a piece member 13 with the face of the color of move facing up is placed in a square 111, if a piece member 13 with the face of the color of move facing up is already placed in another square 111 in the row direction or column direction from that square 111, and between that square 111 in which that piece member 13 is already placed and the square 111 in which the piece member 13 has just been placed, there are no empty squares and only a piece member 13 with the side of a color other than the color of move facing up is placed in a square 111, the top face of the other color of the piece member 13 (there may be a plurality of pieces) is replaced with the face of the color of move (in this example, the piece member 13 is flipped over). [0059] The game ends when all types of piece members 13 of one player's color of move are lined up in a line (row or column, or diagonally), and the player of that color of move is declared the winner. [0060] The game also ends when neither player can place any piece members 13, and at that time the player having more piece members 13 of his/her own color facing up than the other player wins. [0061] The player may not place a plurality of pieces of the same type of piece member 13 in the four squares in a row or column direction, or in diagonal lines of the placement field 110.

[0062] Note that, also here, it is assumed that p=4 types, n=4, and placement locations of the piece members 13 formed on the board 11 are arranged in r=4 rows and c=4 columns.

[0063] However, by using the substitute image 112, the following additional rules are applied. [0064] When a piece member 13 is placed in a square 111 with the face of the color of move facing up, if there is a substitute image corresponding to the color of move on an extension line in the row or column direction from the square 111, and there are no empty squares and only a piece member 13 with the other color side up is placed in the squares 111 between that substitute image and the square 111 where the piece member 13 has just been placed, the top face of the other color of the piece member 13 (there may be plurality of piece members) is replaced with the face of the color of move (in this example, the piece member 13 is flipped over).

[0065] Due to the rules using this substitute image 112, for example, if a row is arranged as [0066] abSS [0067] and the black side player's turn comes next (the turn of the player who places the piece member 13 with the black side facing up, this will be noted in a similar way below), the black side player will use a D type piece member 13 to place it as [0068] abDS, [0069] and since there are no empty squares up to the substitute image 112 on the left, and only piece members 13 of a color other than black that are the color of move (white) have been placed, these white piece members 13 will be replaced with black to make ABDS.

[0070] This allows the black side player to replace the white pieces on the outer periphery of the board, allowing the black side player to restrain the white side player's predominance.

Example of Implementation by Computer Application Program

[0071] Furthermore, the game implemented by the game set of the present embodiment may be achieved by a computer application program.

[0072] In this example, an information processing device (which may be a smartphone, personal computer, or home game console) equipped with a processor that executes this program operates in the following way in accordance with the program.

[0073] The information processing device according to this example of the present embodiment is a general computer device including a processor, a memory, an input device, a display device, and a communication interface, and in accordance with a program stored in the memory (which may be stored in a computer-readable and non-transitory recording medium and provided, and then copied into the memory), the processor causes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an external monitor to display an image of the board 11 as illustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4, and proceed game processing, on the basis of user instructions input from an input device such as a touch panel, game controller, or mouse. Hereinbelow, an example of processing a game illustrated as Game Example 2 by using the board 11 illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0074] In this example, the processor of the information processing device stores and retains, in a memory unit, board state information representing the state of the board 11, namely, information representing whether or not each square on the board 11 is empty, and in the case where a piece member 13 is placed, what type of piece member 13 is placed with which side (here, either the white side or the black side) facing up. One of the features of the present embodiment is that the processor generates board state information that represents the state of a board that is slightly larger than the size of the board 11, that is, a board for 66 squares (FIG. 5). In this board state information, the four corner squares C1, C2, C3, and C4 are set to be prohibited from using (pieces may not be placed), and for the other 16 squares (C) on the outer periphery, it is assumed that the four squares on the top side and the four squares on the bottom side are set in advance to have the substitute images 112 corresponding to the piece members 13 with the black side facing up (the type of the substitute images 112 is a different type from the types of piece members 13 available to the player), and the four squares on the left side and the four squares on the right side are set in advance to have the substitute images 112 corresponding to piece members 13 with the white side facing up (the types of these piece members 13 are also a different type from the types of piece members 13 available to the player). Then the inner 16 squares (the 16 squares of the placement field 110) are set as empty squares.

[0075] The processor displays an image of the board 11 illustrated in FIG. 4 and determines the playing order of the two players (first or second move) and the side of the piece member 13 that each player will use (white or black). The decision of first and second moves and the face (color, i.e., each player's color of move) may be made randomly, for example. The processor initially resets information regarding the piece members 13 held by the user. In one example of the present embodiment, the processor resets conditions initially to allow each player to have four types of piece members (each identifiable by a circular, X-shaped, triangular, and square shape)two pieces for each (a total of eight pieces).

[0076] Thereafter, the processor accepts the designation of an empty square on the board 11 (hereafter referred to as the designated square) from the player whose turn has just come in accordance with the determined turn order. It is sufficient if the processor simply accepts this designation by the player having a turn currently and tapping or clicking on the area where an empty space is displayed. The processor further receives a selection instruction, from the player having a turn now to select one of the piece members 13 held by that player.

[0077] The processor determines whether or not the selected piece member 13 can be placed in the designated square according to the determined game rules. To be specific, the processor determines whether or not it violates the rule that a plurality of pieces of the same type of piece member 13 may not be placed in a row or column direction, or diagonally when placing the selected piece member 13 in the designated square. At this time, the processor makes a decision only about 16 squares of the placement field 110 excluding the outer periphery of the board represented by the board state information. In other words, the processor does not determine the type of the piece members 13 arranged in the 16 squares (C) on the outer periphery.

[0078] As a result of this determination, if the processor determines that the above rules are not violated, the processor updates the board state information for having placed, on the designated square, the selected piece member 13 having the top face with the color of the player who has a turn currently, and also updates the information on the piece members 13 in the hand of the player having a turn now by removing the placed piece member 13 having been placed from the piece members 13 in hand. The processor then sequentially selects squares adjacent to the designated square and checks whether or not there are any piece members 13 placed having the top face with a color different from the color of the player who has a turn currently. Then, if there is a piece member 13 placed having its top face with the color different from that of the player having a turn now, a check is made to see whether or not there is a piece member 13 of the color of the player having a turn now in the square located in the direction from the designated square to the currently selected adjacent square. At this time, the processor also considers the piece members 13 arranged in the 16 squares (C) on the outer periphery as a target of determination. Then, if the processor determines that there is a piece member 13 of the color of the player in his/her turn in a square in the direction from the designated square to the currently selected adjacent square (i.e., determines that another player's piece member is sandwiched by using the piece member placed this time), the processor changes the state of the piece member 13 with the other player's color on top in the checked square to a state where the color of the player in his/her turn is on top, and updates the board state information, and then continues processing on other adjacent squares adjacent to the designated square (unprocessed adjacent squares).

[0079] On the other hand, if there is no piece member 13 of the color of the player in his/her turn in the direction of an adjacent square in which a piece member 13 with the top of a color different from the color of the player in his/her turn is placed, processing continues on other adjacent squares (unprocessed adjacent squares) adjacent to the designated square.

[0080] Then, when there are no more unprocessed adjacent squares, the processor refers to the information on the squares corresponding to the placement field 110 in the board state information to check whether or not the state satisfies the conditions for ending the game. Here, the condition for ending the game is that only the piece members 13 of the color of move for any turn of the same number as the number of squares (here, four) are arranged in a row, column, or diagonal direction within the placement field 110 (first condition), or that all squares within the placement field 110 are no longer empty (in each of squares, a piece member 13 of any one of the player is placed) (second condition).

[0081] When the processor determines that the first condition is satisfied, the processor displays indication that the player in his/her turn is the winner and ends the processing of the game. In addition, when it determines that the second condition is satisfied, the processor counts the number of the piece members 13 of the color of move for each player in the placement field 110, and displays a message informing about the player having the greatest number of piece members 13 of the corresponding color of move as the winner, and ends the processing of the game. If the numbers of piece members 13 of the color of move are the same here, the processor displays the fact that the game has ended in a draw, and ends the processing of the game.

[0082] If the processor determines that neither the first nor the second condition is satisfied, the processor changes the player having a turn and waits for the designation of an empty square and a piece member 13 to be placed.

[0083] It is to be noted that this processor may also make a move as one of the players. In this case, when the processor player's turn has come, the processor refers to the board state information and makes the next move (selecting the designated square and the piece member 13 to place). This process can use widely-known methods for move creation processing, such as using a machine learning model that has learned a relation between board state information and moves, and thus detailed description will be omitted here.

Other Features of Present Embodiment

[0084] The present embodiment also has the following features. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a game set according to one example of the present embodiment includes four sets of pieces of four different types (a total of 16 pieces) and one board (which also functions as a lid for the box). Each piece has a black face and a white face, and the shape of its circumscribing rectangle when viewed in a plane (planar circumscribing rectangle) is the same for all shapes of pieces.

[0085] The pieces are made of resin such as melamine and, as mentioned above, are in the form of relatively thin plates and are formed into the four shapes mentioned above. Note that the corners are cut and rounded, and the front side of the board is painted white and the back side black. The colors may be left with a glossy finish.

[0086] The board is made of wood (e.g., beech) and has 16 squares composed of 4 squares4 squares. Each square should be a rectangle that is as large as or larger than the circumscribing rectangle of the piece's plane. In addition, black or white dots are formed on the outside of the squares on the outer periphery of the board (12 squares excluding the four inside). These dots correspond to the substitute images in the embodiment already described.

[0087] The game rules are illustrated in FIG. 7A (Japanese version) and FIG. 7B (English version).

[0088] First, [0089] One side of the piece is black and the other side is white. [0090] At the start of the game, remove the pieces from the board. For example, it is sufficient if the pieces are placed next to the board. [0091] Each player decides on their own color. There are no particular limitations on how this is decided. [0092] To play the game, respective players take turns placing pieces that have been removed from the board on empty squares on the board with their own color facing up. The players are free to choose what type of piece to place. [0093] If you sandwich a piece of the opponent's color between pieces of your color, you can flip the opponent's piece (no matter how many pieces are sandwiched) and make it into a piece of your color. [0094] The dots on the outside of the squares can be used as pieces of your color. This means that the white dots can be used as white pieces and the black dots can be used as black pieces. In the case where you sandwich an opponent's piece between a dot of your color and your piece, you can flip the opponent's piece over to your color. [0095] The condition for a win is that the first player to line up all four types of pieces of his/her own color in a straight line wins. [0096] The winning patterns are illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, in the case where you do not have all four types of pieces of your color, you may not win (even in the case where you arrange them in a straight line, you may not win if there are pieces of the same shape on that line). [0097] In the case where the game is not settled and all pieces have been placed on the board but the above winning conditions have not been met, the player having the most pieces of their color on the final board will be the winner.

[0098] As illustrated in FIG. 8, there is a box (right in the figure) with a board as the lid, and permanent magnets are arranged at the four positions in the outer periphery of the box. On the back of the corresponding board (left in the figure), there are also four permanent magnets (with polarities arranged such that magnets in corresponding positions attract each other).

[0099] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.