An Improved Game of Skill.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Game of Skill.
I, WILBRAHAM OATES LENNOX, of East Pallant House, Chichester, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The subject of my invention is a game which is played by placing pieces or men
on a table or board in manner hereinafter described: it can be played by two, three,
or four persons, all of whom are adversaries.
The board has painted or otherwise suitably delineated upon its surface sixty nine
equilateral triangular spaces, which I designate knots, arranged equidistant along
given straight lines, which lines of triangular spaces or knots I call ropes.
The pieces or men with which the game is played are sixty nine in number and
are made in the form of equilateral triangular pyramids, .so that each pyramid has
four equal faces and four apices or points; the said four points of each pyramid are
coloured black, blue, red and yellow respectively. The faces of the pyramids are
equal in size to the triangular spaces on the board.
The game is played in the following manner :-
Each player selects one of the above-enumerated colours, and it having been
decided by lot who commences the players follow one another in regular order from
right to left.
The game starts by each player placing his first two pyramids with the points
bearing his distinctive colour uppermost on the knots numbered for the purpose on
the board: No. one player on to Nos. one and one knots, No. two player on to
Nos. two and two knots, and so on.
After this opening move on the part of each player has been made the game
proceeds, each player playing in turn, and for the future choosing the knot on which
he will place his pyramid, until all the sixty nine pyramids have been played, or
until the game has been previously won by either of the combatants as hereinafter
described.
The game is played somewhat on the principle of the athletic sport known as
tug-of-war, and as in that sport-all the force must be exerted along a straight
rope by men standing at consecutive knots.
The object of each player is to capture any of his opponents' men, in which case
he changes them to his own colour and so adds them to the number of his own men
on the board.
A player can capture an opponent's unsupported man if he can place the pyramid
he is playing on a knot next to one of his own men so that his two men are on the
same rope as one of his opponent's the three being on consecutive knots.
When one man has not any of his own men behind him on consecutive knots on
the same rope along which an adversary attacks him he is said to be unsupported ;
and if on the contrary he has one or more of his own men on consecutive knots
behind him on the same rope along which an adversary plays he is said to be
backed up.
A player can capture two adversaries who are backing up each other if he can
place the pyramid he is playing so that three of his men are on three consecutive
knots on the same rope as the two adversaries, all five being on consecutive knots.
Similarly a player may be able to capture three or four men, always provided that
he has a preponderance of at least one man, and that all the men are on consecutive
knots along the same rope, and further that such of his own men as are effecting the
capture form an uninterrupted line themselves. In all cases the men captured may
belong to different adversaries, and any men of the player's own colour being amongst
those captured is not to be considered an impediment to the capture and changing

page_text: colours of the adversaries, provided always the attacking force on consecutive knots
outnumbers the whole of the men attacked including such chance men of the player's
own colour who may be situated as described amongst the adversaries.
When men are captured and changed to the colour of the player they may either
be left on the knots they occupied, or be pulled or pushed along one knot on the same
rope at the player's option, if there are knots unoccupied ; in which case the force
with which the player was attacking must be pulled or pushed along one knot in the
same direction.
The player must play so as to capture at least one adversary if possible; and if
he cannot play to capture, then he may play on to the next knot to an adversaries'
unsupported man and challenge him or he may place his pyramid so that with the
assistance of one or more of his own men, he can challenge an equal number of men
belonging to an opponent. Men challenged are not captured and do not change their
colour.
The object of challenging is to enable the player to place a pyramid on the board
when he would not otherwise be able to do so. When the player can neither capture
nor challenge, he loses his turn, and the next player proceeds.
If a player plays to challenge when he could capture, or plays wrongly, the next
player before placing his pyramid (or the succeeding player before the next player
has done more than place his pyramid) can huff him by turning the pyramid he has
played over to his own colour.
If a player says he cannot play when he can, the next player can place a pyramid
for him on a knot where he could have played, and huff it by turning it to his own
colour.
The game is ended when all the sixty-nine pyramids have been played, or when
no player is able to play to capture or to challenge. And the player who has the
greatest number of pyramids on the board of his colour is the winner.
As my invention is capable of some modifications and variations without departing
from the general principle thereof, I do not restrict myself to the precise dimensions
or numbers of the parts thereof, or to the nature of the materials employed in their
manufacture.
Dated this 16th day of January 1890.
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Game of Skill.
I, WILBRAHAM OATES LENNOX, East Pallant House, Chichester, 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 the following
statement:-
My invention is a game of skill which I call "Tug-of-War"; it can be played by
two, three, or four players all of whom are adversaries.
The game is played by placing pieces or men, on a table or board in manner
hereinafter described.
The board is of paper or any other material, and has marked upon its surface
equilateral triangular spaces, called knots, arranged along straight lines, called ropes.
I attach a drawing of a board with sixty nine knots, but I do not restrict myself to
that number.
The pieces or men correspond in number with the knots on the board; they are
made in the form of equilateral triangular pyramids, and have therefore four apices
or points; the four points of each are coloured with a different colour, black, blue,
red, and yellow, or other suitable colours. When the game is intended for two
players only, triangular pieces of card or other material, coloured on one side, can be
used.

page_text: The game is played in the following manner :-
Each of the players selects one of the colours; they decide by lot who is to
commence, and the others follow in succession from right to left.
The game starts by each player placing his first two men, with the points bearing
his distinctive colour uppermost, on the knots numbered for the purpose on the
board;
No. 1 player plays his on the 1 and 1 knots; No. 2 player his on the 2 and 2
knots; and so on.
After this opening move on the part of each player has been made, the game
proceeds each player playing in turn and choosing the knot on which he will place his
man, until each knot has a man on it, or until the game has been previously finished
"
as hereinafter described.
The game is played somewhat on the principle of the athletic sport known as
tug-of-war," and, as in that game, all the force must be exerted along a straight
rope by men standing at consecutive knots.
The object of each player is to capture men belonging to his opponents, in which
case he changes them to his own colour, and so increases the number of his own men
on the board.
A man is said to be unsupported when he has not any of his own colour on con-
secutive knots behind him on the same rope along which an adversary plays to pull
him. A man is said to be backed up who has one or more of his own men on
consecutive knots behind him on the same rope along which an adversary plays to
pull him.
A player can capture an opponents unsupported man, if he can place the man he is
playing on a knot next to one of his own men, so that his two men are on the same
rope as the unsupported opponent, the three being on consecutive knots.
Similarly if two adversaries are backing up each other, a player can capture the
two, if he can place the man he is playing so that three of his men are on the same
rope as the two adversaries, all the five being on consecutive knots.
Similarly if three adversaries are backing up each other, a player can capture the
three, if he can place the man he is playing so that four of his men are opposed to
only three adversaries.
Similarly five of a players men can capture four adversaries, and so on; to be
enabled to capture a player must always have a preponderance of at least one man.
In all cases the men captured may belong to different adversaries, and any of the
number pulled being of the players own colour is no impediment; such men are
supposed to be unable to pull with the player but to be compelled by the adversaries
to assist them.
When men are captured they are changed into the colour of the player; they may,
at the players option, either be left on the knots they occupied, or be pulled or pushed
one knot in the same rope provided there are knots unoccupied.
A player must play so as to capture at least one adversary if possible; if he cannot
play to capture, then he may play on to the next knot to an adversary's unsupported
man and challenge him; or he may play his man so that with the assistance of one or
more of his own men, he can challenge an equal number of men belonging to an
opponent. Men challenged are not captured and do not change their colours; the
object of challenging is to enable a player to place a man on the board when he would
not otherwise be able to do so.
When the player can neither capture nor challenge, he loses his turn and the next
player proceeds.
If a player plays to challenge when he could capture, or plays wrongly, the next
player before playing his man (or the succeeding player before the next player has
done more than play his man) can buff him by turning the man he has played over to
his own colour.
If a player says he cannot play when he can, the next player can place a man for
hin on a knot where he could have played, and huff it by turning it to his own
colour.
The game is ended when all the knots have men on them, or when no player is able

page_text: to play to capture or to challenge. The player who has the greatest number of men
on the board with his colour uppermost wins.
As my invention is capable of modifications and variations without departing from
the general principle thereof, I do not restrict myself to the precise dimensions or
shape of the board, or to the number of the men, or to the nature of the materials
employed in the manufacture of the board or men.
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 :
A new game of skill for two, three, or four players, to be played according to the
rules set forth with men of a peculiar shape, and coloured as described, on a board of
a novel pattern as herein set forth and shewn on the drawing.
Dated this Seventeenth day of October 1890.
WILBRAHAM OATES LENNOX,
East Pallant House, Chichester.
WILBRAHAM OATES LENNOX,
East Pallant House, Chichester.