A New Parlour Game.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1885-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
A New Parlour Game.
HARRY OWEN ROBERTS 4 Commercial Road, Gloucester Manager Mineral
Water Works JOHN OWEN ROBERTS 34 Midland Road, Gloucester Accountant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
A new game consisting of a board made of wood, cardboard or any other
suitable material with squares marked on. it like an ordinary draught board.
Also a number of square blocks, or discs round or otherwise, called Men, made of
wood, cardboard or any other suitable material with letters on one side & numerals
on the other or reverse side, half of these squares or discs must be coloured different
to the other half to enable one player to distinguish his own from his opponents.
The number of men each player ordinarily uses, is eighteen, but we do not bind
ourselves to this or any number.
The way in which the game is played is by placing all the men of one: colour on
the squares at one end of the board leaving no. square vacant, but occupying all the
squares from side to side as far as the. men will, go. This must also be done with
the men of the other colour at the opposite end of the board.
Two modifications. of the game can be played, with the men, one with the letters
uppermost & the other with the numerals, but the mode of play is; identical
in, each..
Letters. The men having been placed on the board. as directed. above, the
letters being uppermost, the game, is to make words with your own & in conjunction
with at least one of your opponents letters,, the letters, composing the, werd may be
read from left to right thus POST or from right to left thus TSOP, & they may
be at any angle,, longitudinal, latitudinal or diagonal, so long, as they are in a line.
without a. vacant square intervening. When a word has been made the player,
who made the move completing the, word should remove from the board. the letter
or letters in the word belonging to his opponent & in this way the game proceeds
until all the men of one side have been captured or when it is impossible for one of
the players to make any more words, the winner being the one who has the most
men remaining on the board.
Numerals. The men with the numbers uppermost are placed on the board in the
same way as the letters & the game proceeds in exactly the same manner the object
of each player being to get three numbers, one or two of which must be his.
opponent's in a certain position riz.: the outside numbers must be either one under
or one above the centre figure thus; take 5 as the centre figure, the outside figures
must either be a 4 or a 6, in this way the following combinations can be
made 454-456-654-656.-& either of these would constitute a line; the points
to bear in mind being that the three numbers must follow each other in a line
without an unoccupied square intervening, that the line may be at any angle,
longitudinal latitudinal or diagonal & that one or two of the numbers must be an
opponent's.
The player who makes the move that completes the line, removes from play the
numbers of his opponent, in the line so made & the game is thus continued till the
whole of the numbers of one player have been removed from the board, or until no
further line can be made, when the one who has the most men on the board wins, the
game.

page_text: There are two moves, a step & a hop. A step is shifting a piece into any
adjoining square provided it is unoccupied i.e. forward, backward, sideway or
diagonal. A hop is jumping over one or a series of men in any direction provided
there is a vacant space between each man to jump into as in the game of Halma,
the men so jumped over (which may be your own or opponent's) are not removed
from the board.
Dated this Eighth dox of Mash 1805
H. O. ROBERTS.
J. O. ROBERTS.
A New Parlour Game.
HARRY OWEN ROBERTS, 4 Commercial Road, Gloucester Manager, Mineral
Water Works JOHN OWEN ROBERTS 34 Midland Road, Gloucester, Accountant,
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 :-
A new game consisting of a board, made of wood, cardboard or any other
suitable material, marked with squares like an ordinary draught or chess board.
Also a number of discs, square, round or otherwise or square blocks made of wood,
cardboard or any other suitable material with letters printed or blocked on one side
of the disc or block as the case may be & numerals printed or blocked on the
reverse side, these for the purposes of the game are called Men, half of these men
must be coloured different to the other half to enable one player to distinguish his
own from his opponents.
The number of men each player ordinarily uses is sixteen but we do not bind
ourselves to this or any number.
:
The game is played in the following manner Place all the men of one colour on
the squares at one end of the board, leaving no square vacant, but occupying all the
squares from side to side of the board as far as the men will go, this must also be
done with the men of the other colour at the opposite end of the board.
Two modifications of the game can be played with the men, one with the letters
uppermost & the other with the numerals, but the mode of play is identical
in each.
Letters. The men having been placed on the board as directed above, the
letters being uppermost, the game is to make words with your own & in conjunction
with at least one of your opponent's letters. The letters composing the word may
be read from left to right thus :-POST, or from right to left thus:-TSOP, &
they may be at any angle-longitudinal, latitudinal or diagonal-so long as they
are in a direct line without a vacant square intervening. When a word has been
made the player who made the move completing the word may remove from the
hoard the letter or letters in the word belonging to his opponent, & in this way the
game proceeds until all the men of one side have been captured; or when it is
impossible to make any more words, the winner being the player who has then,
most men remaining on the board.
Numbers. The men with the numbers uppermost are placed on the board in the
same way as the letters & the game proceeds in exactly the same manner, the
object of each player being to make with at least one of his opponents numbers a
run of three or triplet, of which the outer numbers are next in value to the middle
one, either above or below, i.e. taking 5 as the centre number, those on either side
must be 4 or 6 as 454, 456, 654, 656, & either of these would constitute a run or
triplet. The points specially to be noted being (1) that the three numbers in the
triplet must follow each other in a line, without an unoccupied square intervening

page_text: (2) that the line may be at any angle, longitudinal, latitudinal or diagonal
and (3) that at least one of the numbers belong to the opponent. The player who
makes the move completing the triplet removes from the board the number or
numbers in the line or triplet belonging to his opponent. The game is thus
continued until the whole of the figures of one player have been removed from the
board or until no further triplet can be made, according to the foregoing conditions
& the player who has the most men left on the board wins the game.
There are two moves, a step and a hop. A step is moving a man into any
adjoining square-forward, backward, sideway or diagonal-provided it is
unoccupied. A hop is jumping over one or a series of your own or opponent's
men, or both, in any direction provided there is a vacant space between each man
to jump into. The men so jumped over are not removed from the board. A code
of rules regulates the game a copy of which together with the articles before
described are packed in a box.
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:
The use of discs, blocks or any other suitable article with letters & numbers on
as herein described, adapted to the chess board in the manner described & for the
purpose of a new parlour game or games substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 8th day of June 1895.
HARRY OWEN ROBERTS.
JOHN OWEN ROBERTS.