A NEW GAME, COMBINING CHANCE AND SKILL, AND THE APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Loysel, of Rue de Grétry, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW GAME,
COMBINING CHANCE AND SKILL, AND THE APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Loysel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
December 1854.
I, EDWARD LOYSEL, of Rue de Grétry, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW GAME, COMBINING CHANCE AND SKILL, AND THE APPARATUS TO BE USED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This game is intended to be played by two or four persons, and the apparatus
required consists of a board somewhat resembling a chess or draught board,
the number of squares varying according to the number of players. With this
board are to be used certain pieces, as at chess, of different value or power,
say, for instance, a queen, knight, &c., each player of course having an equal
number of pieces of different colors, and which must be placed on the board
in some pre-arranged order, according to certain rules. Instead of the players
being allowed to choose which piece they intend to play, this is determined by
means of a rotary disc, or other equivalent contrivance, upon which is to be,
marked the name or symbol of the several pieces.
Upon setting this rotary piece into rapid motion and leaving it to stop
of itself, it may be made to indicate, by means of a ball or index, the name of

page_text: some of the pieces on the board, and which particular piece must then be
moved by the player. It will be understood, that as all the pieces are of
different value and have different moves, a certain amount of skill and intelli-
gence is required by the player to avail himself of the advantages then placed
at his disposal to damage the position of his adversary or adversaries. I
would observe that the mode of indicating the name of the pieces to be
played may be varied. For instance, a rotary apparatus, similar to a teetotum,
may be used for the purpose; or a ball may be made to run round a dish-
shaped vessel, and when its power is nearly spent it will fall into some recess
or hole, of which there must be several in the dish, and in or near which
recesses or holes may be marked the name of the several pieces. Or, instead
of either of these contrivances, a simple six-sided cube may be used, on the
sides of which may be marked figures, letters, or devices indicating the several
pièces to be used in the game.
Some numerical value, according to fixed rules, must, be given to the
different pieces, and the number as well as a diagram of the moves the piece
is capable of making, may be marked on the surface of each piece, supposing
it is flat, like a draught; or on any other convenient part, supposing it is made
erect, like chessmen. Now, supposing the value of the pieces collectively be
placed at 100: the queen may be marked with the number of 50, the knight
with that of 25, and so on. The object then of the players will of course be,
as in chess or draughts, to capture the adversary's pieces, so as to reduce the
total value of the adversary's means of offence and defence, until all the pieces
of one side are captured. The conqueror will then count up the numerical
value of the pieces remaining to him, and will score so many points in his favor.
In order to facilitate this object, a small apparatus may be added to the other
appendages of the game. This will consist of a dial, with numbers placed
round, as in a clock face, and with hands, to mark the units, tens, and hundreds.
The board to be used in this game may be either rigid or flexible, or even
made in sections for the convenience of packing.
A modification of the game may be made by taking the ordinary pieces
used in the game of chess, giving them any numerical value that may be
decided on, and employing the apparatus above referred to, to indicate which
piece is to be played. In this mode of playing chess it will be found con-
venient to play with only half the number of pieces usually employed, and to
arrange them on the board in such a manner that any piece may be moved
at the commencement of the game, and that no piece may be in check by any
other when beginning.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Loysel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd June 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LOYSEL, of Rue de Grétry, Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Loysel, Her special license that I, the said Edward Loysel,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Loysel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW GAME, COMBINING CHANCE
AND SKILL, AND THE APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREWITH," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Loysel, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Loysel, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The new game, combining chance and skill, which forms the subject of the
present Invention, I intend to denominate "the chivalric game of tournoy."
It is intended to be played by two persons, with twelve pieces on a board of
thirty-six squares; each player has six of these pieces, the two sets being
of different colours, that is, either black and white or red and green, as in
chess, draughts, or other analogous games.
The game may also be played by four persons, placed as at whist, or the
double game of chess, the two players who are vis-a-vis being partners. To
play the double game, twenty-four pieces and a board with eighty-one squares

page_text: are required; six of the pieces are allotted to each of the four players, and to
distinguish the pieces of the four sets, four different colours are employed,
such, for instance, as red, green, white, and black.
The six pieces belonging to each player are denominated-1, the queen;
2, the chevalier; 3, the connétable; 4, the herald; 5, the page; and 6, the
dwarf.
The pieces consist of round blocks of wood or ivory, on one side of cach of
which is represented an allegorical drawing, to distinguish the pieces from
one another, together with a geometrical diagram denoting the power of the
piece, and also a figure or number indicating its numerical value.
The novel and distinctive feature of the game of tournoy is, the introduction
of chance to govern the moves of the pieces. Instead of its being left to the
discretion and judgment of the player to select the particular piece he desires
to move, as at the noble game of chess, the name of the piece to be played
is to be denoted by the indicator, which is a simple and convenient apparatus,
as shewn in the accompanying Drawings; in which, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the indicator; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, shewing
the case A, containing the apparatus, open, and exposing to view the various
parts; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the box or case closed, as
when not in use. The apparatus is composed principally of a horizontal
wheel a, capable of circular motion on a vertical pivot b, in the centre of a
cup c, in which an ivory ball d may be set in motion. On the circumference
of the wheel a are six recesses 1, 1, 1, (Fig. 2), provided with flaps c, e, e, with
the names of the pieces engraved thereon. When the flaps e, e, are raised,
the six recesses 1, 1, on the wheel are opened, and when the flaps are let
down, the recesses are closed. If a rotatory impulse be given to the wheel by
turning the milled head f, an impetus will be communicated to the ivory
ball d in the cup, and after three or four rotations the ball will drop into one
of the six recesses 1, 1, in the wheel, and the name on the flap above the
recess will indicate the piece the player has to move.
Although the player is bound to move the particular piece denoted by the
indicator, yet, as each piece has a variety of moves, a certain amount of skill
and intelligence is required to place the piece in the most advantageous
position to defend the player's game and annoy his adversary. Besides the
names engraved on the flaps, there are above each of them studs g, g, of varied
size and colour, so that without looking at the engraved names, the players
and bystanders will soon become accustomed to distinguish at once even at a
distance which piece the indicator denotes.
Another novel and distinctive feature of the game of tournoy, which renders

page_text: it still more attractive and interesting, is, that every piece possesses a numerical
value, as follows:-
The queen is worth fifty points.
The chevalier is worth twenty-four points.
The connétable is worth fifteen points.
The herald is worth five points.
The page is worth three points.
The dwarf is worth three points.
Rewards are granted and fines inflicted during the game, according to
certain rules, and the game is to be played until a given number of points are
obtained by either of the players; and in order to facilitate the marking of
points, the game is provided with two dials, which are placed in the lid of the
case A, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings. Each dial has three hands,
one for units, one for tens, and one for hundreds, and marked with the primary
figures from 0 to 9.
A separate dial is to be employed by each player or each two partners, and
the only thing to be done is, at every time points are to be added to the
account of the players, the total must be made up mentally, and the hands
made to indicate the corresponding figures. For marking 68, for instance,
place the units hand at 8, the tens hand at 6, and the hundreds hand at 0;
for marking 364, place the units hand at 4, the tens hand at 6, the hundreds
hand at 3. On beginning a new game or series of games put the three
hands at 0.
POWER OF THE PIECES.
In order to understand the power of the pieces by means of the geometrical
diagrams engraved thereon, the player must suppose, for a moment, that
instead of playing on the large board he is playing on the smaller one, which
is figured on the piece, and is also shewn in the diagram in Sheet II. of
the Drawings. The piece being placed in the centre square of the board
where there is a star, it can move and take in all the squares in which dots
are marked on the diagrams.
The diagrams shewn in the Drawings are marked on the pieces, and it will
be seen that the queen can move and take an adversary's piece, either one
square in any direction, or two squares from the square in which she stands;
in making this latter move she is allowed to leap over any piece placed on
the intermediate square. The chevalier can move or take in any direction
at a distance of two squares; in doing which he can leap over any piece placed
on the intermediate square, but he can neither take nor move one square only.

page_text: The connétable can move or take one square in any direction; he can also
move or take two squares straightforward, backward, and across, but not
diagonally; but he can do so only if the intermediate square be unoccupied,
that is to say, he cannot leap over an adjoining piece, the queen and chevalier
being the only pieces enjoying that power. The herald can move or take one
square in any direction. The page can move or take one square straight-
forward, backward, and across, but not diagonally. The dwarf can move or
take one square diagonally at the four angles of that in which he stands,
but he cannot move or take either straightforward, backward, or across.
I would remark that the above-described new game should be governed by
certain fixed rules, which, however, form no part of the Invention; and these
rules, as well as the value of the pieces, and the moves of the latter, may be
modified and altered as may be thought desirable.
Having now described my Invention of a new game, and the apparatus to
be employed therewith, I claim,-
First, the game herein-before described, in which the order of the moves of
the pieces is determined by a separate apparatus, called an indicator, so that
no piece can be moved unless it is pointed out by the indicator.
I claim also the indicating apparatus above shewn and described, or any
mere modification thereof:
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Loysel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
EDWARD LOYSEL. (L.S.)
Witness,
LEGROS DE LACROIX.