Board game apparatus and method of play

Abstract

This invention is a two player board game played on a board having a matrix of squares with indicia on a plurality of squares to visually distinguish them as either being ‘home’ squares or ‘magic’ squares. Each player is assigned at least one ‘home’ square and one ‘magic’ square, the assigned squares being visually distinguishable from those assigned to the other player. There are two distinguishable playing sets, each having three kinds of playing pieces X, Y and Z and each said set is assigned to a different player. Both players move in turn one of their pieces according to its assigned capability of movement. If a player moves his X or Y playing piece on his ‘magic’ square then the moved piece ‘turns’ into his Z playing piece. Each player plays with the objective to win the game by successfully leading his Z piece to any of his ‘home’ squares. A player may also win if he captures or blocks all opponent's pieces. The game play encourages strategic thinking by providing opportunity to players to plan future moves and to use piece positioning tactics to achieve goals.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A board game apparatus consisting of: 
 a) a flat game board having N×M squares arranged as a grid of N rows of squares by M columns of squares, where N and M are integers greater than 2;    b) and two distinguishable playing sets, each said playing set comprising of following components, all of them visually distinguishable from those components not contained in the said playing set: 
 i. a plurality of X playing pieces, a plurality of Y playing pieces and a plurality of Z playing pieces, each type of playing piece being visually distinguishable from another type and having a designated manner of movement; X and Y playing pieces will henceforth be also referred to as ‘fighter’ pieces.  
 ii. a plurality of visually distinguishable squares on the game board designated as ‘home’ squares;  
 iii. a plurality of visually distinguishable squares on the game board designated as ‘magic’ squares;  
   
     
     
         2 . A method of play whereby two players may play a board game using the apparatus described in  claim 1 , the method of play consisting of: 
 a) limiting the movements of an X playing piece to any horizontal direction and any vertical direction, a distance of any number of squares each move, if and only if the destination square is unoccupied and not a ‘home’ square; and prohibiting the said X piece from jumping over playing pieces and ‘home’ squares;    b) limiting the movements of a Y playing piece to any diagonal direction, a distance of no more than two squares each move, if and only if the destination square is unoccupied and not a ‘home’ square; and allowing the said Y piece to jump over playing pieces and any square;    c) limiting the movements of a Z playing piece to any horizontal, vertical or diagonal direction a distance of no more than one square each move if and only if the destination square is unoccupied;    d) assigning a different playing set to each player and allowing each player to control the movements of only the playing pieces belonging to the playing set assigned to him; in this sense all components of the playing set assigned to a player are said to ‘belong to’ or ‘owned by’ the said player.    e) allowing each player, in turn, to move one playing piece of his or her playing set to a square that lies within the assigned capability of movement of the piece being moved    f) allowing a player, upon moving one of his ‘fighter’ playing pieces, to remove an opponent's piece from the game board if the opponent's said piece gets at least two of the said player's ‘fighter’ pieces, each, as a one-square horizontally or vertically adjacent neighbor, one of the neighbors being the said ‘fighter’ piece last moved by the said player.    g) allowing a player to perform a chess-style capture of an opponent's piece using one of his ‘fighter’ pieces, if and only if the said opponent's piece lies on the said player's ‘magic’ square lying within the assigned capability of movement of the said ‘fighter’ piece.    h) allowing a player, upon moving one of his ‘fighter’ pieces to his ‘magic’ square, to perform any captures that are permissible and then allowing the said player, if and only if he possesses a ‘spare’ Z playing piece off the game board, to remove the said ‘fighter’ piece from the game board and place the said spare Z playing piece on the said ‘magic’ square.    i) allowing a player to win the match if and only if the said player is the first player 
 i. to move his Z piece, within its assigned capability of movement, to any of his ‘home’ squares or  
 ii. to remove all of the opponent's playing pieces from the game board or  
 iii. to make a move so that none of the opponent's playing pieces can subsequently be moved to any square that lies within the their assigned capability of movement.  
   
     
     
         3 . A method of capture wherein a player may remove an opponent's piece from the game board by making such a move that the opponent's said piece gets at least two of the said player's pieces, each, as a one-square horizontally or vertically adjacent neighbor, one of the neighbors being the piece last moved by the said player.  
     
     
         4 . A board game apparatus of  claim 1 , where N=6 and M=6.  
     
     
         5 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 4  and method of play of  claim 2 , with each playing set comprising of two ‘home’ squares, two ‘magic’ squares, four X playing pieces, two Y playing pieces and two Z playing pieces, the arrangement of these components on the game board at the beginning of a match, being illustrated in FIG. 1.  
     
     
         6 . A method of playing as recited in  claim 2 , where the game rule specified in sub section (i), is superseded by the following game rule: 
 allowing a player to win the match if and only if the said player is the first player 
 i. whose all ‘home’ squares have been occupied at any time in the course of game play, at least once by any of his Z pieces or  
 ii. to remove all of the opponent's playing pieces from the game board or  
 iii. to make a move so that none of the opponent's playing pieces can subsequently be moved to any square lying within the their assigned capability of movement.  
   
     
     
         7 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 1  and method of play of  claim 2 , wherein each square is provided with means for securing a playing piece in the said square, so as to resist unwanted movement.  
     
     
         8 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 1  and method of play of  claim 2 , wherein the game board is configured so that it may be folded.  
     
     
         9 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 1  and method of play of  claim 2 , wherein the game board is enclosed within a case.  
     
     
         10 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 1  and method of play of  claim 2 , wherein the playing pieces, game board and squares, all exist as data within a computer, and wherein at least a portion of such data is displayed on output means.  
     
     
         11 . A board game of  claim 10 , wherein the output means comprises a computer monitor or an LCD display screen.  
     
     
         12 . A board game of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is programmed to play against a human opponent.  
     
     
         13 . A board game comprising of apparatus of  claim 1  and method of play of  claim 2 , wherein the apparatus additionally comprises printed matter setting forth a method of play thereof, which may be identified as Rules of the Game.