Chess variant game and method

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A game comprising:
 a game board having a first axis, and a second axis generally perpendicular thereto, an inner zone centered at the intersection of the first and second axes, a first pair of panel zones disposed along the first axis on opposing sides of the inner zone, and a second pair of panel zones disposed along the second axis on opposing sides of the inner zone, the inner zone presenting eighty-one playing positions in a square array, each panel zone presenting twenty-seven playing positions arranged in a three-by-nine rectangular array, the playing positions which extend along the first axis and second axis generally forming respective universal rows which intersect to divide the remaining playing positions into distinct quadrants, the playing positions within each quadrant alternating between having a first color and a second color in a checkerboard pattern, a majority of the playing positions within the universal rows defining universal playing positions; and   four sets of eighteen game pieces, each set of game pieces including a subset of institutional pieces and a subset of citizen pieces, each subset of institutional pieces including at least a government piece, an ideology piece, a media piece, a military piece, and a corporate piece, each subset of citizen pieces including at least an ambassador piece, a scholar piece, a reporter piece, an agent piece and an executive piece.   
     
     
         2 . A game as defined in  claim 1 , wherein each universal playing position has a first color portion, a second color portion and two universal color portions, a universal color portion of each universal playing position generally adjoining one of the universal color portions of at least one adjacent universal playing position. 
     
     
         3 . A game as defined in  claim 1 , wherein
 each subset of institutional pieces includes one government piece, two ideology pieces, two media pieces, two military pieces and two corporate pieces; and   each subset of citizen pieces includes one ambassador piece, two scholar pieces, two reporter pieces, two agent pieces and two executive pieces.   
     
     
         4 . A game as defined in  claim 3 , wherein:
 (a) within each subset of institutional pieces,
 (i) one ideology piece, one media piece, one military piece and one corporate piece includes overt markings; and 
 (ii) one ideology piece, one media piece, one military piece and one corporate piece includes covert markings; and 
   (b) within each subset of citizen pieces,
 (i) one scholar piece, one reporter piece, one agent piece and one executive piece includes overt markings; and 
 (ii) one scholar piece, one reporter piece, one agent piece and one executive piece includes covert markings. 
   
     
     
         5 . A game as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising a 4-sided die. 
     
     
         6 . A game as defined in  claim 1  wherein the game board and game pieces are configured to be represented graphically on a graphical user interface of a computing device, and at least one of the sets of game pieces is configured to be moved by a respective player by way of the computing device. 
     
     
         7 . A method of playing a game by four players, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a game board having a first axis, a second axis generally perpendicular thereto, an inner zone centered at the intersection of the first and second axes, a first pair of panel zones disposed along the first axis on opposing sides of the inner zone, and a second pair of panel zones disposed along the second axis on opposing sides of the inner zone, the inner zone presenting eighty-one playing positions in a square array, each panel zone presenting twenty-seven playing positions arranged in a three-by-nine rectangular array, each panel zone corresponding to a respective one of the players and having respective forward, backward, lateral and diagonal movement directions, each forward direction being toward the respective opposing panel zone, the playing positions which extend along the first axis and second axis generally forming respective universal rows which intersect to divide the remaining playing positions into distinct quadrants, the playing positions within each quadrant alternating between having a first color and a second color in a checkerboard pattern, a majority of the playing positions within the universal rows defining universal playing positions; and   supplying a set of eighteen game pieces for each of the players, each set of game pieces including a subset of citizen pieces and a subset of institutional pieces, each subset of institutional pieces including at least a government piece, an ideology piece, a media piece, a military piece, and a corporate piece, each subset of citizen pieces including at least an ambassador piece, a scholar piece, a reporter piece, an agent piece and an executive piece;   initially positioning each set of game pieces within a respective one of the panel zones;   sequentially alternating turns among the players;   implementing rules of player game piece movement wherein:
 (a) each citizen piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone one playing position per move, the first two moves of each citizen piece being in its forward direction, and the moves thereafter for the respective piece being in either its forward or lateral directions; 
 (b) each government piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone in accordance with the standard rules of chess for a king; 
 (c) each ideology piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone in accordance with the standard rules of chess for a queen; 
 (d) each media piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone in accordance with the standard rules of chess for a bishop; 
 (e) each military piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone in accordance with the standard chess rules of chess for a knight; 
 (f) each corporate piece may be moved with respect to its panel zone in accordance with standard chess rules for a rook; 
   wherein the universal playing positions provide movement logic which allow a localized exception to strict diagonal movement of respective game pieces traversing one of the universal rows.   
     
     
         8 . A method as defined in  claim 7  wherein:
 each subset of institutional pieces includes one government piece, two ideology pieces, two media pieces, two military pieces and two corporate pieces; and 
 each subset of citizen pieces includes one ambassador piece, two scholar pieces, two reporter pieces, two agent pieces and two executive pieces. 
 
     
     
         9 . A method as defined in  claim 8 , wherein:
 (a) within each subset of institutional pieces,
 (i) one ideology piece, one media piece, one military piece and one corporate piece includes overt markings; and 
 (ii) one ideology piece, one media piece, one military piece and one corporate piece includes covert markings; and 
   (b) within each subset of citizen pieces,
 (i) one scholar piece, one reporter piece, one agent piece and one executive piece includes overt markings; and 
 (ii) one scholar piece, one reporter piece, one agent piece and one executive piece includes covert markings. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein:
 the playing positions at the ends of the universal rows are defined as universal end playing positions; 
 each panel zone includes a rearmost intuitional row; 
 when a citizen piece of one player advances to the institutional row of another player, it is promoted in accordance with a promotion rule in which:
 (i) if the respective citizen piece is on a playing position of the first color, the citizen piece will be promoted to an institutional piece with overt markings; 
 (ii) if the citizen piece is on a playing position of the second color, the citizen piece will be promoted to an institutional piece with covert markings; 
 (iii) if the citizen piece is on a universal end playing position, the citizen can be promoted to an institutional piece with overt or covert markings; 
 (iv) all citizen pieces except the ambassador piece can only promote to an institutional piece of matching status, wherein agent pieces match military pieces, reporter pieces match media pieces, scholar pieces match ideology pieces and executive pieces match corporate pieces; and 
 (v) only the ambassador pieces can be promoted to any institutional piece.