and Draughts when Travelling.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1888
Specification Accepted, 22nd June, 1888'
and Draughts when Travelling.
I, WILLIAM MOFFATT, of Rock House, Wickwar, in the County of Gloucestershire,
Gentleman, 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 thie
following statement :-
This Invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for playing the
games of chess and draughts and has for its object to provide a portable and compact
chess and draughts board which can be readily used when travelling and in which
the chess-men or draughts-men as the case may be are stored in the manner herein-
after set forth. This chess and draughts board is made in two parts hinged together
so as to be easily folded and placed in the pocket.
And in order that my Invention may be better understood I have illustrated the
same in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of one half
of a chess and draughts board constructed according to my Invention, with the
hinge attached thereto. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the board and Figure 3 a
cross section on line X X of Figure 1. Figure 4 is an end elevation of the board
partly closed up and shewing the hinge at the top.
The board a, which may be made of wood, inetal, or other suitable material, is
divided into the usual number of squares while on each end there is formed a
rectangular space wide enough for fixing the chess-men or draughtsmen as the case
may be. This space is provided with sixteen conical perforations d. d. into which
are fixed the tapered shanks a¹ of the chess or draughtsmen of the form shewn
respectively at A and B, all the squares being likewise provided with centrally conical
perforations c, into which the men are placed in position on the required squares at
the commencement of the game or into which they are subsequently moved on as the
game is being played.
The two halves of my folding chess and draughts board are joined together first
by means of two ordinary pin hinges h. fixed by screws upon the upper edges of
the sides of the box as shewn on the drawings-They are further secured by a flat
bar or back H, the extremities of which are bent up at right angles as shewn in

page_text: Figure 2 and each of which is provided with two slots s. s. into which move two
screws ss fixed to the upper and lower outer edges of the ends of the board, as
shewn in Figure 4, so that the two halves of the board slide on the hinge on being
opened or closed. This hinge serves the double purpose of a back and protector for
the board.
In a modification of my Invention I make my improved chess and draughts board
adaptable for the use of blind persons, and for this purpose I raise the black squares
as shewn at i. i. in Figure 3, and also provide in this case the top of the black chess-
men or draughtsmen with a small knob as shown at A', so that the persons playing
may be able to ascertain whether they are making a move with a black or with a
white man and whether on a black or white square.
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 general arrangement of a folding chess or draughts board provided with
conical holes for fixing the shanks of the men therein, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn on the accompanying drawings.
2. The mode of fastening the two halves of the chess and draughts board by means
of a flat binge forming a back thereto, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1988
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.