Patent Publication Number: US-2015080078-A1

Title: Strategy game

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/874,047, filed on Apr. 30, 2013, which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/039,637, filed on Mar. 3, 2011, which claims benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/653,043, filed on May 30, 2012. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present invention pertains to the field of games and in particular to strategy games. 
     2. Related Art 
     There are a number of games which integrate the construction of a puzzle and a board game together. Typical jigsaw puzzles, for example, have pieces which can be assembled over particular indicia of a game board. Points can be assigned based on covering or connecting certain areas of the game board, and by playing a uniquely shaped piece of the puzzle in a particular manner. Such puzzles, however, have a predetermined position within the puzzle, where a player can place a playing piece, and thus, having only one solution. 
     There are other games which allow construction of separate puzzles for each player. In such games, the players compete with each other. However, these games do not allow the players to play in direct competition with each other, whereby a players&#39; moves affect the other player&#39;s ability to utilize his/her turn. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     Games can be fun, challenging, and a way to teach children of all ages about logic and strategic thinking. The embodiments described herein meet the above-identified needs by providing: a) a strategy game having multiple solutions; b) a strategy game which can be played alone, competitively, or cooperatively; c) a strategy game that can be played together with or without playing cards: d) a strategy game which can be played in a variety of mediums, including as a traditional game with physical components or on an electronic platform. 
     One example aspect provides a game set for playing a strategy game on a playing surface by one or more persons. The game set includes (a) a plurality of playing pieces, each playing piece having a predetermined number of edges, wherein each edge is at least one of an exterior edge and a connecting edge, (b) a plurality of playing cards, each playing card containing an indicia corresponding to the shape of one of the plurality of playing pieces, and (c) a playing surface. 
     Another example aspect provides a strategy game played by one or more players. Each player randomly selects a plurality of playing cards, each playing card containing an indicia corresponding to the shape of one of the plurality of playing pieces. Each player exchanges each of the playing cards for a corresponding one of a plurality of playing pieces, each playing piece having a predetermined number of edges, wherein each edge is either one of an exterior edge or a connecting edge. Each player places each playing piece obtained by said exchanging on a playing surface by (i) orienting an exterior edge according to a perimeter of the playing surface and (ii) orienting a connecting edge according to a corresponding connecting edge of an adjacent playing piece. 
     Still another aspect provides playing a strategy game by one or more players. Each player randomly selects a plurality of playing cards, each playing card containing an indicia of a shape having a predetermined number of edges, wherein each edge is at least one of an exterior edge and a connecting edge. Each player places each playing card on a playing surface by (i) orienting the indicia of an exterior edge according to a perimeter of the playing surface and (ii) orienting the indicia of a connecting edge according to a corresponding connecting edge of an adjacent playing piece. 
     According to other example aspects, each player is dealt an equal amount of playing cards to begin each of a plurality of sets, and an amount of turns for each player in each set is limited to a predetermined number. In another example aspect, one or more playing pieces or playing cards are already on the playing surface at the beginning of the game. Still another example aspect provides a storage tray for storing the playing pieces. The storage tray includes cavities respectively corresponding to different types of shapes of the playing pieces. 
     Yet another example aspect provides playing a strategy game by one or more players. Each player randomly selects a plurality of predefined drawings, each predefined drawing corresponding to a shape having a predetermined number of edges, wherein each edge is at least one of an exterior edge and a connecting edge. Each player draws one or more of the predefined drawings on a playing surface by (i) orienting the indicia of an exterior edge according to a perimeter of the playing surface and (ii) orienting the indicia of a connecting edge according to a corresponding connecting edge of an adjacent predefined drawing. 
     Further features and advantages, as well as the structure and operation, of various example embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and advantages of the example embodiments of the invention presented herein will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the following drawings. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view of a game board according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates corner playing pieces according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates border playing pieces according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates interior playing pieces according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom plan view of a playing card including an indicia on its lower surface according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a top plan view of a playing card including a logo on its upper surface, and a box for the playing cards according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a general and/or special purpose computer, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a plan view of storage trays. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a plan view of a drawing surface according to one embodiment of game play. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view of a game board  100  according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the playing surface  1  of game board  100  is a grid containing sixty-four square shaped spaces. In one embodiment, playing surface  1  contains different types of spaces. For example, playing surface  1  may include corner spaces  2 , border spaces  3  and interior spaces  4 . In this exemplary embodiment, there are four corner spaces  2 , twenty-four border spaces  3 , and thirty-six interior spaces  4 . 
     Playing surface  1  provides a surface on which the playing pieces are placed during game play. Any flat material can be used to form playing surface  1  by carving out, drawing, or otherwise delineating the shaped spaces which form the surface. 
     Other shape spaces which facilitate placement of the playing pieces on the playing surface  1  can be used instead of the square shaped spaces (e.g., triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc.). 
     Each type of space on the playing surface  1 , corner space  2 , border space  3 , and interior space  4 , contain different indicia, indicating correct placement of a playing piece during game play. 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  illustrate corner playing pieces  5 , border playing pieces  10  and interior playing pieces  11  according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , each corner playing piece  5 , border playing piece  10 , and interior playing piece  11  contain four edges  6 . Each edge  6  is an exterior edge or a connecting edge. The connecting edge can be a male connector  7  or a female connector  8 . The male connector  7  is a protrusion of an edge  6 . The female connector  8  is an indentation of an edge  6 . Alternatively, each edge  6  may have a combination of both male and female connectors. A male connector  7  and a female connector  8  can be of any shape or design that matches the edge  6  of one playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11  with the corresponding edge of another playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . In another embodiment, the connecting edge can be an edge matching system. The edge matching system is an indicia drawn, etched, or otherwise printed on the surface of the edge  6  of the playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . In one embodiment, the indicia is a color. In another embodiment, the indicia is a design. 
     Two adjacent edges  6  of the corner playing pieces  5  contain a connecting edge, and two adjacent edges  6  are exterior edges. In the exemplary embodiment, there are four different combinations of connecting edges and exterior edges  6  for the corner playing piece  5 . 
     Three adjacent edges  6  of the border playing pieces  10  contain a connecting edge, and one edge  6  is an exterior edge. In the exemplary embodiment, there are eight different combinations of connecting edges and exterior edges  6  for the border playing piece  10 . There are three duplicates of each of the eight different border playing pieces  10   
     Four edges  6  of the interior playing pieces  11  contain a connecting edge. In an exemplary embodiment, there are six different combinations of connecting edges  6 . There are six duplicates of each of the six different interior playing pieces  11 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , eighteen different playing pieces, each playing piece containing a different combination of four edges: four corner playing pieces  5 , eight border playing pieces  10 , and six interior playing pieces  11 , are shown. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, there are a total of sixty-four playing pieces, including four corner playing pieces  5 , twenty-four border playing pieces  10 , and thirty-six interior playing pieces  11 . A handle  9  for lifting the playing pieces  5 ,  10 , and  11  protrudes upward from the center of playing pieces  5 ,  10 , and  11 . In one exemplary embodiment the handle  9  is a cylindrical column. The handle  9  may be any design that provides aid to a player to lift the playing pieces  5 ,  10 , and  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the lower surface of a playing card  12  contains an indicia  13  corresponding to the design of the corner playing piece  5 , the border playing piece  10 , or the interior playing piece  11 . There is one playing card  12  corresponding to each of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . Playing cards  12  determine the order in which the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are placed on the playing surface  1 , or indicate which playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are available to place on the playing surface  1 . In the exemplary embodiment, there are sixty-four playing cards  12 : four playing cards  12  corresponding to the corner playing pieces  5 ; three duplicates of each of eight playing cards corresponding to the border playing pieces  10 ; and six duplicates of each of six playing cards corresponding to the interior playing pieces  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the upper surface of the playing card  12  contains an indicia  14  drawn on the upper surface of the playing card  12 . A box  15  provides storage for the playing cards  12 . The box is constructed of any suitable material, including but not limited to paper, plastic, or cardboard. The surface of the box  15  contains an indicia  16  drawn on the surface of the box. 
       FIG. 7  is a high-level block diagram of a general and/or special purpose computer  700 , in accordance with some embodiments. The computer  700  may be, for example, a user device, a user computer, a client computer and/or a server computer, among other things. 
     Exemplary Embodiments of Game Play 
     A game for connecting individually or cooperatively all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  is provided. A player wins the game if he/she is the first player to connect all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  corresponding to all his/her playing cards  12  or accumulates the least amount of points. 
     Generally, the type and method of game play is determined by the number of players and the desired level of competition. A player may only exchange one playing card  12  at a time for its corresponding playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . If a player cannot make use of a playing card  12  that the player has in his/her possession, then the player must keep the playing card  12  in his/her possession. A playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11  may be placed on the playing surface  1  only on the proper space for that type of playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . For example, a corner playing piece  5  may be placed only on a corner space  2 ; a border playing piece  10  may only be placed on a border space  3 ; and an interior playing piece  11  may only be placed on an interior space  4 . 
     Only interior playing pieces  11  and border playing pieces  10  can be placed on the first move of the game. After the first playing piece  11  or  10  is placed on the playing surface  1 , all subsequent playing pieces  5 ,  10  or  11  must connect to a playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11  that has already been placed on the playing surface  1 . The exterior edges  6  of a border playing piece  10  or corner playing piece  5  indicate proper orientation on the outer perimeter of the playing surface  1 . A playing card  12  can not be reused in the same game after a player exchanges the playing card  12  for its corresponding playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . 
     Generally, there are four types of games that may be played, depending on the number of players and desired level of competition: Individual Game With No Sets, Individual Game With Sets, Cooperative Game With No Sets, Cooperative Game With Sets, Competitive Game With No Sets, and Competitive Game With Sets. Table 1 determines the type of game to be played depending on the number of players and desired level of competition. 
                             TABLE 1                   One Person Wins   Group Wins                  Game With    Competitive Game With Sets   Cooperative Game        Sets   Individual Game With Sets   With Sets       Game With    Individual Game With No Sets   Cooperative Game,        No Sets   Competitive Game With No Sets   With No Sets               * A person can win for himself/herself or for a team.            
In addition to the rules in the exemplary embodiments of game play, any method of game play may be played without a game board, without playing cards, and/or with a timer.
 
     Individual Game with No Sets 
     In one exemplary embodiment, an individual game with no sets for connecting all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 , is provided. The player wins if the player can connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . The player loses if the player is unable to connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . 
     Rules: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. In a game with no sets, the player picks a playing card  12  from the top of the stack, and exchanges the playing card  12  for the corresponding playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11 . If the player cannot make use of a playing card  12 , the player must keep the playing card  12  in his/her possession and continue selecting additional playing cards  12  until the player selects a playing card  12  that can be exchanged for a playing piece that can be placed on the playing surface  1 . The player must use a playing card  12  in the player&#39;s possession before picking another playing card  12  if possible. 
     Individual Game with Sets 
     In one exemplary embodiment, an individual game with sets for connecting all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 , is provided. The player wins if the player can connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . The player loses if the player is unable to connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . 
     Rules: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. 
     In a game with sets, the player gets an equal amount of playing cards  12  during each set. Any unused playing cards  12  are retained by the player for use in the following set, in addition to the playing cards  12  that are dealt during each consecutive set. 
     Cooperative Game with No Sets 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a cooperative game with no sets for connecting all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  is provided. All players win if they connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  on the playing surface  1 . All players lose if the players are unable to connect all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  on the playing surface  1 . Any number of players from two to eight can play. 
     Rules: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. The players alternate turns in the game with two players. The player with possession of a turn rotates clockwise in the game with more than two players. Each player selects one playing card  12  from the top of the stack on his/her turn. The players may not share information about their playing cards  12 . If a player cannot make use of a playing card  12 , then the player looses his/her turn and must retain the playing card  12 , but during the player&#39;s subsequent turn, the player must play any playing card  12  in the player&#39;s possession before picking another playing card  12  if possible. 
     Cooperative Game with Sets 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a cooperative game with sets for connecting all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  as a group is provided. A set begins when each player receives eight playing cards  12 . All players win the game as a group if they connect all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . All players lose if they cannot connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 . 
     Rules for a cooperative game with sets with two players: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. The player with possession of a turn first must alternate between players at the beginning of each set. The game is played with four sets. Each player is dealt eight playing cards  12  per set. 
     At the beginning of the set, eight playing cards  12  are dealt to each player. The players may not share information about their playing cards  12 . Turns are mandatory, but if a player cannot place any of his/her playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  on the playing surface  1 , then the player must forfeit his/her turn. Once a turn has been forfeited, it can not be recovered. Each player is limited to eight turns in each set, except the last set, which continues until the game is concluded. Any unused playing card  12  is retained by the player for use in the following set, in addition to the playing cards  12  distributed during the following set. 
     Rules for a cooperative game with sets with four players: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. The game is played with two sets. Each player is dealt eight playing cards  12  per set. Players choose which player will have a turn first. The player with a turn first on the first set should have a turn first on the second set also. Possession of the turn should rotate left (clockwise). At the beginning of the set, the playing cards  12  are dealt. Players can not share information about their playing cards  12 . Turns are mandatory, but if the player cannot place any of his/her playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  on the playing surface  1 , then the player must forfeit his/her turn. Once a turn has been forfeited, it may not be recovered. Each player is limited to eight turns in each set except the last set, which continues until the game is concluded. Any unused playing cards  12  are retained by the player for use in the following set, in addition to the playing cards  12  distributed during the following set. 
     Competitive Game (with Sets; with No Sets) 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a competitive game is provided. The game is won by the first player to connect all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  corresponding to all of his/her playing cards  12 , or the first team in which a player connects all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  corresponding to all his/her playing cards  12 . The game can be divided into sets. A set begins when each player is dealt eight playing cards  12 . A point value is assigned to each type of playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11  (or playing card  12 ), with corner playing pieces  5  having the highest point value, border playing pieces  10  having the second highest point value, and interior playing pieces  11  having the lowest point value. At the beginning of the set, the playing cards  12  are dealt to each player. The first player to connect all of the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  corresponding to his/her playing cards  12  wins the game for himself/herself or for his/her team. If neither player or team places all of their playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  by the end of the last set, then the player or team with the lowest accumulated total number of points wins the game. 
     Rules for the competitive game with two players: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. Players choose which player will have a turn first. In a game with sets, the player with possession of a turn first must alternate between players at the beginning of each set. In a game with sets, the game is played with four sets. Each player is dealt eight playing cards  12  per set. In a game with no sets, each player receives a playing card  12  when it is his/her turn. The players can not share information about their playing cards  12 . Turns are mandatory, but if a player cannot place any of his/her playing cards  12  then the player must forfeit his/her turn. Once a turn has been forfeited, it can not be recovered. In a game with sets, each player is limited to eight turns in each set except the last set, which continues until the game is concluded. In a game with sets, any unused playing card  12  is retained by the player for use in the following set, in addition to the playing cards  12  distributed during the following set. Any playing cards  12  remaining in a player&#39;s possession are kept by that player until the end of the game. 
     Rules for the competitive game with four players playing individually or in teams: Before beginning the game, all playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are separated and organized by type (e.g., corner, border, or interior). The playing cards  12  are shuffled, and placed in a stack, facing down. Players choose which player will have a turn first. In a game with sets, the player with a turn first on the first set should have a turn first on the second set also. Possession of the turn should rotate clockwise among the players. The game with sets is played with two sets. Each player is dealt eight playing cards  12  per set. In a game with no sets, each player receives a playing card  12  when it is his/her turn. The players can not share information about their playing cards  12 . Turns are mandatory, but if a player cannot place any of his/her playing cards  12  on the playing surface  1 , then the player must forfeit his/her turn. Once a turn has been forfeited, it can not be recovered. In a game with sets, each player is limited to eight turns per set except the last set, which continues until the game is concluded. In a game with sets, any unused playing card  12  is retained by the player for use in the following set, in addition to the playing cards  12  dealt during the following set. Any playing card  12  remaining in a player&#39;s possession are kept by that player until the end of the game. 
     Strategy Game with Only Playing Cards 
     In another embodiment, a strategy game with only playing cards is provided. The game can be played individually or competitively with two or more players. The game can be played with or without the playing surface  1 . 
     In one embodiment, the cards have to connect to another card except for the first card played. The player to play the first card in the game has the option to play a border card or an interior card. After the first player plays the first card, all subsequent cards must connect to any card previously played. 
     Rules of game play for strategy game with only playing cards on an 8×8 grid: In one embodiment, the game is played with all 64 playing cards. A total of 8 cards are placed on a row or column. There can only be 6 border cards consecutively on a row or a column. At each extreme side of 6 consecutive border cards in a row or a column there can only be a corner card, or, between two corner cards in opposite sides of a row or a column there can only be 6 border cards. There can only be 6 interior cards consecutively on a row or a column. At each extreme side of 6 consecutive interior cards in a row or a column there can only be a border card, or, between two border cards in opposite sides of a row or a column there can only be 6 interior cards. In the first turn a player can play a border card or interior card. After the first card is played all subsequent cards most connect to any card previously played. 
     Additional rules for strategy game with only playing cards on a 3×3 grid, 4×4 grid, 5×5 grid, 6×6 grid, or 7×7 grid: The corner playing cards have a higher ranking than the border playing cards; therefore, the border playing cards should connect to corner playing cards adjacent to them and not necessarily vice versa; and the border playing cards have a higher ranking than the interior playing cards; therefore, the interior playing cards should connect to border playing cards adjacent to them and not necessarily vice versa. Border playing cards should connect to other border playing cards adjacent to them. Interior playing cards should connect to other interior playing cards adjacent to them. 
     In another embodiment, a strategy game with only playing cards is provided. The game can be played individually or competitively with two or more players. The game can be played with or without the playing surface  1 . 
     Rules for individual strategy game with only playing cards: The objective of the individual game is to place all of the interior playing cards  12  on the playing surface  1 . The player begins the game with eight playing cards  12 . At the beginning of the game, four border playing cards  12  should be placed on each of the four spaces designated for border playing cards  12 . If the player does not have four border playing cards  12 , the player must select additional playing cards  12  until the player possesses four border playing cards  12 . The player can place four border playing cards  12  if the player has at least one interior playing card  12  that contains indicia of a connecting edge corresponding to the indicia of the connecting edge to the four border playing cards  12 . If the player does not have an interior playing card  12  that contains indicia of a connecting edge corresponding to the indicia of the connecting edge of four border playing cards  12  in his possession, the player must obtain additional playing cards  12  until the player possesses an acceptable interior playing card  12 . All interior playing cards  12  in a player&#39;s possession that can be played, must be played consecutively. Once a player does not have any remaining interior playing cards  12  that can be placed, the player must play a border playing card  12 . The player must have at least one interior playing card  12  in his possession to play a border playing card  12 . A player can play a border playing card  12  if it would allow the player to play an interior playing card  12  in his possession. A border playing card  12  can be placed on top of an already placed border playing card  12  if the interior facing edge of the border playing card  12  has the opposite connector as the already placed border playing card  12 . Corner playing cards  12  in the player&#39;s possession must be played before any other playing card  12 . After a corner playing card  12  is placed on the playing surface  1 , only border playing cards  12  that contain indicia of a connecting edge corresponding to the indicia of a connecting edge of the corner playing cards  12  may be placed on the playing surface  1 . A corner playing card  12  must be removed from the game when six interior playing cards  12  of the same type have been placed on the playing surface  1 . Two border playing cards  12  with opposite interior facing edge connectors can be swapped with each other immediately after an interior playing card  12  having two pairs of different connectors has been played. A corner playing card  12  can be removed before swapping two cards. 
     Additional rules for competitive play: Every player receives eight playing cards  12 . A border playing card  12  may only be placed on the playing surface if it contains an indicia of a connecting edge corresponding should connect to an indicia of a connecting edge of a corner playing card  12  that has been previously placed on the playing surface. An interior playing card  12  may only be placed on the playing surface if it contains an indicia of a connecting edge corresponding to the indicia of a connecting edge a border playing card  12  that has been previously placed on the playing surface. At the beginning of the game, four border playing cards  12  are placed on each of the four spaces designated for border playing cards  12 . If a player does not possess a border playing card, the player can play a corner playing card  12 . After a corner playing card  12  is placed on the playing surface  1 , a border playing card  12  may only be played if it contains an acceptable indicia corresponding to the indicia on the corner playing cards that have already been played. If a player does not have a corner playing card  12  in his possession, the player looses his turn. After four border playing cards  12  have been played, an interior playing card that contains an acceptable indicia corresponding to the indicia on the four border playing cards. If a player does not possess an acceptable interior playing card  12 , the player may play any border playing card  12  on any of the spaces designated for border playing cards  12 . If a player does not possess a border playing card  12 , the player may play a corner playing card  12 . If a player does not possess a corner playing card  12 , the player looses his turn. Game play should continue until one player plays all of his playing cards  12 . In the exemplary embodiment, the objective of the game is to be the first player to play all his playing cards  12 . If no players are able adjacent to play all of their playing cards  12 , the player or team with the least accumulated playing cards wins the game. In another exemplary embodiment, the player with the turn preceding the player who played all of his playing cards  12  wins the game. If no players are able to play all of their playing cards  12 , the player or team with the most accumulated playing cards wins the game. 
     Strategy Game with Playing Pieces on Board Prior to Play 
     In another exemplary embodiment, a game for connecting individually, cooperatively, or competitively all the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  is provided when any amount of playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are already on the playing surface  1  at the beginning of the game. When any amount of playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  are already on the playing surface  1  at the beginning of the game, the rules of play for each of the respective types of games remain the same as described above. 
     Strategy Game with the Option of Connecting Playing Pieces 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the game may start with or without any amount of playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  on the playing surface  1 . At any point in the game, each player has the option of connecting or not connecting playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  to another playing piece  5 ,  10 , and  11  that is already on the playing surface  1 . 
     Storage Trays for Playing Pieces 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a plan view of Trays #1 and #2. As shown in  FIG. 8 , Tray #1 includes 12 cavities for storing the playing pieces interior  11 . Tray #2 similarly includes twelve cavities for storing the playing pieces corner  5  and border  10 .  FIG. 8  also shows a 3-dimensional view of Tray #1. The 12 different cavities in each storage tray correspond to the shape of each type of playing piece  5 ,  10 , or  11  that fits in them. There are a total of 18 different types of shapes that form the cavities in each storage tray. Each cavity for the playing pieces corner  5  stores one playing piece. Each cavity for the playing pieces border  10  and interior  11  stores three playing pieces. Each cavity of the trays is open at the top. The storage trays are meant to effectively store the playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11 , organize each playing piece  5 ,  10  and  11  by type to improve the strategy game playing process, and aid the players in knowing how many playing pieces  5 ,  10  and  11  of each type are left during a game. 
     Strategy Game Played on Paper 
     In another embodiment, a strategy game played on a drawing surface with only predefined drawings is provided. The game can be played individually or competitively with two or more players. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a plan view of a drawing surface according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the drawing surface  30  is a grid containing sixty-four square shaped spaces. In one embodiment, the drawing surface  30  contains different types of spaces. For example, playing surface  30  may include corner spaces  40 , border spaces  50 , and interior spaces  60 . In this exemplary embodiment, there are four corner spaces  40 , twenty-four border spaces  50 , and thirty-six interior spaces  60 . 
     Drawing surface  30  provides a surface on which a set of predefined drawings are drawn during game play. Any flat drawing surface and/or material can be used to form the drawing surface  30  by drawing or otherwise delineating the shaped spaces which form the surface. 
     Other shaped spaces which facilitate drawing of the predefined drawings on the drawing surface  30  can be used instead of square shaped spaces (e.g., triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc.). 
     Each type of space on the drawing surface  30 , corner space  40 , border space  50 , and interior space  60 , contain different indicia, indicating correct drawing of a predefined drawing during game play. 
       FIG. 9  also provides a set of predefined drawings illustrating the drawings interior  17 , the drawings border  18 , and the drawings corner  19  according to one exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 9 , each drawings interior  17 , drawings border  18 , and drawings corner  19  contain four sides  20 . Each side  20  is an exterior side or a connecting side. The exterior side has no connector  21 . The connecting side can be either a male connector  22  or a female connector  23 . The male connector  22  is a line drawing on a side  20 . The female connector  23  is a circle drawing on a side  20 . Alternatively, each side  20  may have a combination of both male and female connectors. A male connector  22  and a female connector  23  can be of any shape or design that matches the side  20  of one predefined drawing  17 ,  18 , and  19  with the corresponding side  20  of another predefined drawing  17 ,  18 , and  19 . In another embodiment, the connecting side  20  can be a side  20  matching system. The side matching system is an indicia drawn, etched, or otherwise printed on the surface of the side  20  of the predefined drawing  17 ,  18 , and  19 . In one embodiment, the indicia is a color. In another embodiment, the indicia is a design. 
     Two adjacent sides  20  of the drawings corner  19  contain a connecting side, and two adjacent sides  20  are exterior sides. In the exemplary embodiment, there are four different combinations of connecting sides and exterior sides  20  for the drawings corner  19 . 
     Three adjacent sides  20  of the drawings border  18  contain a connecting side, and one side  20  is an exterior sides. In the exemplary embodiment, there are eight different combinations of connecting sides and exterior sides  20  for the drawings border  18 . There are three duplicates of each of the eight different drawings border  18 . 
     Four sides  20  of the drawings interior  17  contain a connecting side. In the exemplary embodiment, there are six different combinations of connecting sides  20  for the drawings interior  17 . There are six duplicates of each of the six different drawings interior  17 . 
     Rules for strategy game with only drawing surface and predefined drawings: The objective of the game is to complete the grid on the drawing surface  30  with a set of predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19 . Each section of the drawing surface  30  is divided into subsections to facilitate the process of drawing the predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  on them. In one exemplary embodiment, a game may start with any quantity of predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  already drawn on the drawing surface  30 . In another exemplary embodiment, a game may start with no predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  already drawn on the drawing surface  30 . The player has the option of connecting or not connecting the predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  to other predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  already drawn on the drawing surface  30 . Only opposite connectors of different predefined drawings  17 ,  18 , and  19  may be adjacent on the drawing surface  30 . Drawings interior  17  can be drawn on the drawing surface  30  in any possible orientation. 
     Exemplary Computer Readable Medium Implementation 
     The example embodiments described above, or any part(s) or function(s) thereof, may be implemented by using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computers or other processing systems. The operations may be completely implemented with machine operations. Useful machines for performing the operation of the example embodiments presented herein include general purpose digital computers or similar devices. 
     The computer  700  preferably includes without limitation a processor device  710 , a main memory  725 , and an interconnect bus  705 . The processor device  710  may include without limitation a single microprocessor, or may include a plurality of microprocessors for configuring the computer  700  as a multi-processor system. The main memory  725  stores, among other things, instructions and/or data for execution by the processor device  710 . If the system is partially implemented in software, the main memory  725  stores the executable code when in operation. The main memory  725  may include banks of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), as well as cache memory. 
     The computer  700  may further include a mass storage device  730 , peripheral device(s)  740 , portable storage medium device(s)  750 , input control device(s)  780 , a graphics subsystem  760 , and/or an output display  770 . For explanatory purposes, all components in the computer  700  are shown in  FIG. 7  as being coupled via the bus  705 . However, the computer  700  is not so limited. Devices of the computer  700  may be coupled through one or more data transport means. For example, the processor device  710  and/or the main memory  725  may be coupled via a local microprocessor bus. The mass storage device  730 , peripheral device(s)  740 , portable storage medium device(s)  750 , and/or graphics subsystem  760  may be coupled via one or more input/output (I/O) buses. The mass storage device  730  is preferably a nonvolatile storage device for storing data and/or instructions for use by the processor device  710 . The mass storage device  730  may be implemented, for example, with a magnetic disk drive or an optical disk drive. In a software embodiment, the mass storage device  730  is preferably configured for loading contents of the mass storage device  730  into the main memory  725 . 
     The portable storage medium device  750  operates in conjunction with a nonvolatile portable storage medium, such as, for example, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), to input and output data and code to and from the computer  700 . In some embodiments, the software for storing an internal identifier in metadata may be stored on a portable storage medium, and may be inputted into the computer  700  via the portable storage medium device  750 . The peripheral device(s)  740  may include any type of computer support device, such as, for example, an input/output (I/O) interface configured to add additional functionality to the computer  700 . For example, the peripheral device(s)  740  may include a network interface card for interfacing the computer  700  with a network  720 . 
     The input control device(s)  780  provide a portion of the user interface for a user of the computer  700 . The input control device(s)  780  may include a keypad and/or a cursor control device. The keypad may be configured for inputting alphanumeric and/or other key information. The cursor control device may include, for example, a mouse, a trackball, a stylus, and/or cursor direction keys. In order to display textual and graphical information, the computer  700  preferably includes the graphics subsystem  760  and the output display  770 . The output display  770  may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display and/or a liquid crystal display (LCD). The graphics subsystem  760  receives textual and graphical information, and processes the information for output to the output display  770 . 
     Each component of the computer  700  may represent a broad category of a computer component of a general and/or special purpose computer. Components of the computer  700  are not limited to the specific implementations provided here. 
     Portions of the invention may be conveniently implemented by using a conventional general purpose computer, a specialized digital computer and/or a microprocessor programmed according to the teachings of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the computer art. Appropriate software coding may readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure. 
     Some embodiments may also be implemented by the preparation of application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits. 
     Some embodiments include a computer program product. The computer program product may be a storage medium or media having instructions stored thereon or therein which can be used to control, or cause, a computer to perform any of the processes of the invention. The storage medium may include without limitation a floppy disk, a mini disk, an optical disc, a Blu-ray Disc, a DVD, a CD-ROM, a micro-drive, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a RAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a DRAM, a VRAM, a flash memory, a flash card, a magnetic card, an optical card, nanosystems, a molecular memory integrated circuit, a RAID, remote data storage/archive/warehousing, and/or any other type of device suitable for storing instructions and/or data. 
     Stored on any one of the computer readable medium or media, some implementations include software for controlling both the hardware of the general and/or special computer or microprocessor, and for enabling the computer or microprocessor to interact with a human user or other mechanism utilizing the results of the invention. Such software may include without limitation device drivers, operating systems, and user applications. Ultimately, such computer readable media further includes software for performing aspects of the invention, as described above. 
     Included in the programming and/or software of the general and/or special purpose computer or microprocessor are software modules for implementing the processes described above. 
     While various example embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described example embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 
     In addition, it should be understood that the figures are presented for example purposes only. The architecture of the example embodiments presented herein is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized and navigated in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures. 
     Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the example embodiments presented herein in any way. It is also to be understood that the procedures recited in the claims need not be performed in the order presented.