APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NOVEL GAME
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES RAM of 1 Napier Villas Waldegrave Road, Upper Norwood, in the
county of Surrey, Mathematician, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NOVEL GAME" to be as
follows:-
This invention consists of a chart or board and cards or equivalent devices with
which the game is played.
The chart is preferably square and crossed by four chief lines which may be
distinguished by special letters or equivalent devices and dotted and coloured for
distinction; these cross at the centre of the chart and form eight radii from the
common centre. Other plain lines parallel with the sides of the chart may be used
to divide it into sixteen squares like a chess board; and within each square is a
number.
The cards or equivalent device are formed into four different suits which are
distinguished by letters or other devices, every card of the same suit bearing the
same distinctive device.
There are sixteen cards numbered consecutively up to sixteen in each suit, and
those which are intended to be placed upon the diagonal chief lines may have a
corresponding diagonal line upon them to facilitate the selecting and placing of the
cards one corner of each of which may be cut off or rounded, or the card otherwise
formed so that the player can readily arrange them right way up.
In playing the game it should be born in mind that certain suits prevail over
others;
thus if they are designated by letters B. will be superior to A, C to B, D to C
and so on D being the higher.
The object of each player (or of the partners if they are playing in pairs or
groups) is to secure the greatest number of cards, that player who plays the highest
card in symmetry with the other cards, as will be presently explained securing the
entire trick-that is all the cards which have been laid down in one round-The
number of players may vary, four being a convenient number, but seven will do
very well; the cards are dealt round, an equal number to each, and there being 64
in the pack there would be 16 to each player if four were playing and 9 to each if
seven were playing; in the latter case as there would be one card over it must be
thrown away and the lowest card in the pack, say A 1, would be the most suitable
to dispense with. In other cases more than one card may have to be dispensed
with.

page_text: 33
By the expression "symmetry" is meant that the cards shall balance each other
about that line upon or in connection with which they are placed; the "symmetry
therefore may vary considerably, the test being that if the chart were folded along
the line of symmetry the cards on each side of the line would fall upon each other.
Those cards having the diagonal line previously mentioned, upon them are considered
symmetrical in themselves because there is an equal portion upon each side of the
line upon which they are laid.

page_text: I, JAMES RAM, of 1 Napier Villas, Waldegrave Road, Upper Norwood in the
County of Surrey, Mathematician do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
for "APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NOVEL GAME," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists of a chart or board and cards or equivalent devices with
which the game is played.
The Chart is preferably square and crossed by four chief lines which may.be
distinguished by special letters or equivalent devices and dotted and coloured for
distinction these cross at the centre of the chart and form eight radii from the
common centre. Other plain lines parallel with the sides of the chart may be used
to divide it into sixteen squares like a chess board and within each square is a
number.
The cards or equivalent device are formed into four different suits, which are
distinguished by letters or other devices every card of the same suit bearing the
same distinctive device.
There are sixteen cards numbered consecutively in each suit and those which are
intended to be placed upon the diagonal chief lines may have a corresponding
diagonal line upon them to facilitate the selecting and placing of the cards one
corner of each of which may be cut off or rounded or the card otherwise formed so
that the player can readily arrange them right way up.
In playing the game it should be borne in mind that certain suits prevail over
others, thus if they are designated by letters B will be superior to A, C to B, D to C
and so on D being the highest.
The object of each player (or of the partners if they are playing in pairs or
groups) is to secure the greatest number of cards, that player who plays the highest
card in symmetry with the other cards as will be presently explained securing the
entire trick-that is all the cards which have been laid down in one round.
The number of players may vary four being a convenient number, but seven will
do very well, the cards are dealt round an equal number to each and there being 6+
in the pack there would be 16 to each player if four were playing and 9 to each if
seven were playing in the latter case as there would be one card over it must be
thrown away and the lowest card in the pack say A 1, would be the most suitable
to dispense with. In other cases more than one card may have to be dispensed
with.
By the expression "symmetry" is meant that the cards shall balance each other
about that line upon or in connection with which they are placed the "symmetry"
therefore may vary considerably, the test being that if the chart were folded along
the line of symmetry the cards on each side of the line would fall upon each other.
These cards having the diagonal line previously mentioned upon them are considered
"symmetrical" in themselves because there is an equal portion upon each side of
the line upon which they are laid.
The apparatus I employ will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
Figure 1 is a plan of the chart in the form in which I generally use it The
other figures represent the cards &c.
The chief lines are represented by the letters E. I. O. U. and are shown dotted; the
subsidiary lines are represented by the plain lines and for distinction are marked
with crosses in Figure 1. Each of the squares thus formed is distinguished by a
number 1 to 16, or 0 to 15 which may be arranged in any convenient order.

page_text: Figures 2. 3. 4 and 5 show a convenient form of the cards one corner being
rounded to facilitate arranging them right way up. The large letter A determines
the suit and the Nos 14. 12. 2. 10 indicate the No of the card in the suit. The
small letters and Nos at the top are for convenience of reference when the cards are
arranged in the hand. Colours for both letters and Nos or for portions or the
whole of the cards can be employed at pleasure.
The shading represents a band of colour across each card.
As it is not desirable 'to encumber this Specification with the complete rules for
playing this game I shall merely give a general description of the manner in which
the chart and cards are used. The essence of this is "symmetry""the symmetry
consisting in so placing the cards upon the chart in relation to each other and to
that line about which they are placed that they balance each other or are
"symmetrically arranged. Thus in Figure 6 the cards are in symmetry as they
balance each other about the line or axis E. E. No 2 balancing No 5. 3. balancing 9.
7-10 and 4-13.
.
•
.
In figure 7 also the Nos 1, 6, 11, 16. may be said to be symmetrically disposed
about line E. E. In figure 8 No 2 balances 14 about the line I. 3 balances 2 about
the line U, 5 balances 2 about the line E. E. and 12 balances 2 about the line 0.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim in a game to be played; with cards or equivalent device by placing the same
upon a specially designed chart is :-
1, A Chart bearing upon its face cross lines I. U diagonal lines E. O and
subsidiary lines X XXX and divided into squares or section's numbered from 1 to 16
or 0 to 15 substantially as set forth and shown.
2, In combination with a chart as specified four suits of cards or equivalent
tokens each suit bearing a distinctive device and numbered from 1 to 16 or 0 to 15
substantially as specified.
3, The method of placing or arranging the cards upon the chart so as to lie
symmetrically upon or about certain lines substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
7001