New Game.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left 20th Apr. 1893—Accepted, 7th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Game.
I, HENRY WILLIAM CROOME SMITH Stone House, Grove Road, Redland,
Bristol, Tutor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The game, herein described as The Game of Roy, is for two players. It is
played on a board, the roy-board. It is played with two similar sets of pieces, the
roymen, the two sets being distinguished by their colour, e.g. black and white.
In this account of the game the word "cover is used in the sense following:
A piece is said to cover a position on the board, when this position supposing
it were unoccupied and otherwise unrestricted would be a possible position for the
piece on its next move.
"
"
The distinguishing and essential feature of the game of roy is as follows:-
The roy is a single position on the board which it is the object of each player to
capture: neither player however can effect this as long as the opponent keeps the
roy "covered" by one or more of his pieces: the defence therefore of each player
consists in maintaining this command or "cover" of the roy the attack of each
player consists in breaking down his opponents defence by capturing his piece or
pieces which cover the roy. When a player thus loses his command of the roy,
and cannot by his next move cover the roy, he is placed hors de combat and has no
right of move, his opponent winning the game: (just as in chess the game is
decided by the check-mate of the king, the player whose king is checkmated
having no right of move). What has been described above as the capture of the
roy thus consists in bringing about such a situation of the pieces on the board that
the winner is left with sole command or, "cover" of the roy. The pieces may not
be played into the roy.
The apparatus and mode of carrying this game into effect are as follows: To
facilitate explanation a diagram is appended in which the numerals and the letter
are for reference only.
THE ROY-BOARD.
This is represented in the diagram: it contains sixty-one positions arranged in
the order of a symmetrical pattern of regular and equal hexagons: the positions
however are not necessarily hexagonal in shape for while still preserving the same
order, they might be circular etc. The central position marked R in the diagram
is the roy this being a non-playing position constitutes, I believe, an essential
difference between this board and others which may have been produced of a some-
what similar pattern. The board thus arranged presents six equal sides, each side
having in it five positions. Two opposite sides are selected as the back lines
of the players. In the diagram the positions numbered 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 at the
top of the board are taken as the back line positions of one player and
those numbered 56. 57. 58. 59. 60 at the bottom, as the back line positions of
the other player.
THE ROY-MEN.

page_text: If a player succeed in playing one of his flags into the central position of his
opponents back line of positions and the flag is not captured by one of the
opponent's pieces, the player may subsequently exchange the flag for a piece
called the bar, this exchange counting as a distinct move. On the exchange being
made the bar shall be placed, not in the position occupied by the flag for which it
is exchanged, but in one of the extreme positions in the roy-line (either 27 or 34 in
diagram) at the player's option. If however both players gain a bar, the player
last gaining it shall not place it on the side selected by the player first gaining it,
so that the two bars may not both be on the same side of the roy. A player shall
not be entitled to more than one bar. The bar can be moved towards the roy only,
and either one or two places at a time: e.g. the bar, if placed on 27, can make as
its successive moves either 27-28, 28-29, 29-30, or 27-29, 29-30, or 27-28,
28-30. Either the third or the second move therefore brings it into a position
adjacent to the roy, and in that position it inust remain since it cannot move back-
wards. In this position however it does not "cover" the roy it has no such
power. It cannot take, nor can it be taken by an opponent's piece.
Its function
is simply to bar or block the position ou which it is, and that not only to the
opponent's pieces, but also to those of the player of the bar.

page_text: by an opponent's piece, it can move into that position, the opponent's piece being
removed from the board, as in chess.
11. SPECIAL RULES.
These rules have reference to the peculiar motive of the game.
"cover"
(1) A player may in no case move a piece, so as to lose his command or
of the roy therefore if he have but one piece "covering" the roy, he may not
move that piece except into such a position that it still covers the roy: with more
than one piece covering the roy, he is free to move any of his pieces on the board,
i.e. any one for which there is a possible move in accordance with the general rules
given above.
(2) If a player lose a piece which “covered" the roy, and at the same time has
no other piece covering the roy, he is debarred from moving any piece except to
"cover" the roy, and if he have no piece which he can play so as to cover the roy,
he has no move and his opponent wins.
(3) A player, whose turn it is to move, having the roy covered and having a
possible move in accordance with the foregoing rules must play even if his doing so
involves the loss of the game.
(4) A player, whose turn it is to move, having the roy covered and having no
possible move in accordance with the foregoing rules, i.e. not being able to play
without uncovering the roy, claims a drawn game.
(5) And if such a stage in the game is reached that it is impossible for either
player to break down the other's "cover" of the roy, the game is drawn.
As novel features of the game I draw special attention to,
"check" is an
(1) The motive of the game.
In chess the situation known as
incident in the attack: in this game, under the name of "cover," it constitutes
persistently the defence.
(2) The arrangement of the roy-board with its central position which is not
entered but "covered" only by the roymen: also the roymen and the moves
peculiar to them: also the peculiar use of the bar: and the rules special to
the game.
(3) The distinctive title of the game, viz.: The Game of Roy.
association of the names given to the apparatus with such apparatus.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of July 1892.
Also the
HENRY WILLIAM ROOME SMITH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Game.
I, HENRY WILLIAM CROOME SMITH, Stone House Grove Road, Redland
Bristol, Tutor do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This game is for two players. It is played on a board with two similar sets of
pieces, the two sets being distinguished by their colour (e.g. black and white).
A New Game.
I, HENRY WILLIAM CROOME SMITH, Stone House Grove Road, Redland
Bristol, Tutor do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This game is for two players. It is played on a board with two similar sets of
pieces, the two sets being distinguished by their colour (e.g. black and white).

page_text: The following is a description of the apparatus which have devised for carrying
the game into effect.
THE BOARD.
The diagram (left with the Provisional Specification) shows the arrange-
ment of the board: the positions on it are sixty-one in number, arranged as
shown the positions are not necessarily hexagonal in shape, for while still
preserving the same order, they may be circular etc. The diagram is numbered for
reference. The central position on the board (marked R in the diagram) as being
the point round which, and on which, the interest of the game is centred, is here
designated Point. This position distinguished from the other positions on the
board by some special device and the pieces may not be moved into it during
the progress of the game. Point may also, if desired be occupied by a neutral
piece this does not affect the method of playing, or the principle of the game.
The board may be coloured in three colours, so that no two adjacent positions are
of the same colour. In the following description of the positions and moves of the
pieces, the numbers refer to the diagram.
:
THE PIECES.
Each player's set of pieces contains three classes of pieces, distinguished by
their shapes, each such set consisting of

page_text: thus loses his
29
22
of point and cannot by his next move
cover
" cover point he
is placed hors de combat, and his opponent wins the game. To actually capture
point by moving into it is merely formal. If point be occupied by a neutral
piece, the actual capture may be effected as follows: The player, who fails to
cover point, removes the neutral piece from the board; and the opponent captures
point, thus vacated, by moving in one of his pieces: again however these two
moves are quite formal.
TLL
stale define and datamining the came
RULES.
(1) A player may not move a piece so as to lose his cover of point. A piece
covering point may therefore be moved into a position, where it does not cover
point, only when the player has another piece covering point.
(2) If a player have but one piece covering point and lose that piece (the
opponent capturing it), he is debarred from moving any of his pieces except to
cover point, and if he have no piece which he can move up to cover point, he
has no move. The opponent then captures point and wins.
(3) A player is compelled to move in his turn as long as he has a move in
accordance with the above rules.
(4) If a player having "point covered" cannot move without uncovering it, or
if such a stage in the game is reached that neither player can be deprived of his
cover of point by his opponent, the game is drawn.
The process of "covering point" is somewhat similar to that of "checking" in
chess but there is this very essential difference between them, vis. -In chess,
"check" is an incident in the attack in this game, the "cover " of point con-
stitutes persistently the defence.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The new game of skill, of which the motive, and the system of defence
and attack are as explained above; together with the rules which define and
determine the game, as set forth above.
(2) The combination of apparatus which I have devised for carrying the game
into effect together with the manner of using such apparatus as fully explained
above; such apparatus comprising, a specially adapted playing-board as herein
before set forth and described, and pieces having the properties or functions as
herein before set forth and described.
Dated this Seventeenth day of April 1893.
H. W. C. SMITH.