A Game for Children, particularly for Teaching Addition and the Multiplication Table.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 24th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 30th Apr.,
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Game for Children, particularly for Teaching Addition and the
Multiplication Table..
FRANCES MARY TAFFS, St. Margarets, Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, N., Certificated
Teacher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A game for children; it is played by means of a folding board made of stiff cardboard
or similar material; the board is laid out in sundry spaces which are variously colored;
there are also used a number of counters (up to twenty) of two different colors, an
equal number of each, made of wood or other suitable, material, and two 'twelve-sided
dice (each side or facet being rhombus shaped), each die marked with the numbers, from
one up to twelve inclusive, on it various facets; a small round uncovered box may
accompany, from which the dice may be thrown, and in which the counters and dice
can be kept when not in play. The centre portion of the board (10 in. by 15 in.) is
divided into spaces of one square inch each, which spaces are numbered regularly from
1 to 144 inclusive; certain other spaces are reserved for "starting places," and for
"homes" or goals" certain of the numbered spaces as above mentioned are
specially colored, to distinguish the various numbers thereon.
The "multiplication table" (from 1 to 12) for purposes of reference is set out by
each side of the board unoccupied by the numbered spaces.
The object of the game is to move the counters, under certain rules, from the
starting place, to the homes.
.
1007
A Game for Children, particularly for Teaching Addition and the
.Multiplication Table.
FRANCES MARY TAFFS (married woman), St. Margarets, Tottenham Lane, Hornsey,
N., Certificated Teacher, 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 :-
The invention is a game, the apparatus for the playing of the same consisting of
the following:-
(1) A folding board, of stiff cardboard or other similar material.

page_text: The board is 17 inches square; the centre portion 10 in. wide (5 in. on either side
of the fold) and 15 in. from lower or nearer edge of the board, is divided into 15 lines
of 10 spaces each, each space being thereby exactly 1 in. square. These spaces,
commencing from the lowest left-hand corner, are numbered from left to right, from
1 up to 144.
(N.B. The 6 spaces that would by this arrangement be numbered 145 to 150
inclusive, are left vacant, to allow of the insertion of the fancy name of the
game).
There being ten spaces in each horizontal line and the numbers running
consecutively from left to right, each number on any upward line will have the same
unit figure, and the numbers, moving upwards will increase by the consecutive
tens.
All the spaces are coloured, but the following numbered spaces are specially
distinguished by various colours :-
(1) The squares of numbers:-1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121 and 144.
(2) The cubes of numbers :-1, 8, 27, 64 and 125.
(3) Multiples of 10; .e. 10, 20, 30 and so on up to 140.
(4) Multiples of 11; i.e. 11, 22, 33 and so on up to 143.
At the upper end of the above mentioned numbered spaces, are the "homes," one
(5 in. by 2 in.) on each side of the centre fold, for each player; the counters are
placed in these spaces upon arrival there in accordance with the rules of the game.
In the front of the board, to the left-hand and to the right-hand, are the two spaces,
each 3 in. square, called "the start" in each of which an equal number of counters
are placed at the commencement of the game.
"
The "start" and "home on the left are used by one player, and the "start" and
"home"
on the right are used by the other player, and they are coloured
correspondingly.
Above the spaces called the "start" are two further spaces, 14in. by 3in. extending
to the upper end of the board, one on either side of the numbered squares, and in
each of these spaces are printed the "multiplication tables," from 1 to 12 inclusive.
The dice are made of wood, and for convenience may be thrown from a small box;
each of the 12 facets or sides is rhombus shaped, and each die is marked on its facets
with the numbers, 1 to 12. The dice are thrown in turn by each player, and the
numbers then uppermost are multiplied together and counters moved on accordingly ;
special advantages accrue to counters that are moved to the specially distinguished
numbers.
The counters are small circular discs ten of one colour and ten of another; or they
may consist of any convenient diminutive objects such as leaden soldiers or figures
and so on.
Those of one colour are to be used by one player, and those of another
colour by the other player
Place the counters in the starting places, 10 in each.
Players throw alternately; multiply together the numbers shown uppermost on
the dice, and move one of the counters so many spaces forwards. A player may
move either those counters already on the spaces, or those still in the starting
place; that is, he need not move them all out in his first ten moves.
N.B. The adding of any number to the number upon which a counter may
already be placed is the easiest and pleasantest thing in the world. Move the
counter upwards one line for each ten, and then to the right for the units. Thus :
suppose 11 and 3 are thrown; and the counter to be moved is on 69; it is required
to move the counter 33 spaces onwards; first move it upwards to 79 (counting 10),
then to 89 (counting twenty), then to 99 (counting 30), then move to the right to
100 (counting thirty one), 101 (thirty two) and 102 (thirty three) where the counter
is left.

page_text: 1. The number from one throw may not be used for moving more than one
counter, except that after placing one counter in "home" the balance may be used
to move forward another counter.
66
2. No more than one counter may occupy one space at the same time.
3. If a player can place one of his counters on any ordinary number (other than a
stronghold") already occupied by one of his opponent's counters, the opponent's
counter must go back to the "start."
4. If a player cannot move other than by moving a counter on to a pale black
space, the counter must go back to the "start."
5. Spaces coloured as below are "strongholds" and counters that can be placed on
them may be moved forward as follows:-
Blue spaces the numbers in these are "squares," such as 5 x 5 = 25 (square
of 5): move the counter forward to the next unoccupied "blue."
Red spaces: the numbers in these are "cubes
such as 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 (cube
of 3); move forward to the next unoccupied red. If there is not such an unoccupied
space in front, then the counter may be placed in "home."
Blue-and-red: these two numbers (1 and 64) are both squares and cubes; move the
counter direct into "home."
Orange and pale green multiples of 10. If a player can so arrange his counters
that at one time there are 6 upon this line, he may place two of them into " home,"
but only once in a game. If however he prefers not to do this, but succeeds in
placing his ten counters, so that at one time they are all in this line, he may move 9
direct into "home."
6. Any counter reaching 144 may be moved into "home," and the player wins the
game who first can place all his counters into "home."
(The spaces in which the numbers are printed are exactly one inch square.)
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 is :-
1. That the plan of the board and the disposition of the numbers thereon.
2. That the particular identification of such special numbers as the cubes, the
squares and other numbers, as mentioned.
3. That the inclusion of the multiplication tables, in conjunction with the multiply-
ing together the numbers shown by the two 12 sided dice are the features of novelty
in the game for which I make application for the grant of a patent.
Dated this Twenty-third day of February 1898.