Improvements in War Games and in Chess and Draughts, and in Boards and Pieces for use therein.
Year: 1898

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in War Games and in Chess and Draughts, and in
Boards and Pieces for use therein.
1
I, JAMES PARFITT BRITTEN, 70, High Street, Dudley, Bookseller and Stationer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
The games are played on a board containing 10 or 12 equal squares each way,
with 8 squares marked for ports in the naval game and for towers in the military
game, or for other purposes connected with the games. To accompany the boards
there are sets of 18 pieces or counters, made of wood, bone, metal, or other durable
substance, for each player, to represent six different grades of vessels in the naval
game, or officers in the military game, or for other purposes connected with the
games, with different powers for each grade or marking, as described in the rules
to accompany the games, the pieces or counters being made distinguishable from
each other by spotted markings upon them, or by variations in their shapes and
colours.
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The features of novelty in the boards consist in distinguishing the
squares at the 4 corners for ports or towers, and the 4 squares being each of the
4th squares counting diagonally from each corner for forts or towers; these
8 special squares to be utilized in the games in accordance with the rules to be
published with them.
The. features of novelty in the pieces consist in modifying the sets of pieces
described for the sets of planets in my Complete Specification No. 1829, year 1898,
Sheets 1 and 2, Figures 2 to 23, for officers, chessmen, or vessels; and adding to
them 8 other pieces for each player, these extra pieces to be of the same pattern
as the aforesaid sets of planets, but to have no special marking or spots upon
them as the other pieces have in the draught-shaped sets, and to have no dis-
tinctive heads upon them as the other pieces have in the chess-shaped sets but
to be shaped like the stands are for those heads; and these 8 extra pieces are to be
used for steamers, satellites or princes, in accordance with the rules to be published
with the games.
.
The above sets of 18 pieces are a novelty for use as chessmen in the way they
distinguish the king's side from the queen's side pieces and the individual pieces
from each other, and in providing 2 officers named centurions in addition to the
usual number of 16 chessmen, these centurions having different powers from any
other pieces in the common game of chess, and the boards are a novelty from the
a more varied field of action
common chess and draught boards by providing
with particular squares on which the pieces are impregnable to capture.
Dated this Second day of May 1898.
JAMES PARFITT BRITTEN,
Applicant

page_text: Improvements in War Games and in Chess and Draughts, and in
Boards and Pieces for use therein.
I, JAMES PARFITT BRITTEN, 70, High Street, Dudley, Bookseller and Stationer,
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 follow-
ing statement:—
These games are played on a board containing ten or twelve equal squares each
way, with eight squares marked for ports in the naval game and for towers in
the military game, or for other purposes connected with the games, these eight
squares being marked with a cross showing their relative positions on my draw-
ing, Fig. 1 appended hereto. The squares are to be of alternate colours like those
on a common chessboard, and of a convenient size for the sets of pieces to be used
therewith.
To accompany the boards each player has a set of 18 pieces or counters, made
of wood, bone, metal or other durable substance, to represent six different grades
of vessels in the naval game, or officers in the military game, or for other purposes
connected with the games, with different powers for each grade or marking, as
described in the accompanying rules, the pieces being made distinguishable from
each other by spotted markings upon them, or by variations in their shapes and
colours. These sets of pieces may be draught-shaped as in my drawing herewith,
Figures 2 to 12, each player having one piece each marked as Figures 2 to 11,
and eight pieces marked as No. 12; or the pieces may be chess-shaped as described
in my drawing herewith, Figures 13 to 22, each player having one each of these
ten figures or designs all mounted on stands as No. 16 is mounted, and eight
pieces similar to Fig. 16 but without any head (shown above the dotted line).
These draught-shaped and chess-shaped pieces are to be used for chessmen and
for the naval and military games described herewith in the following way.
A piece as Fig. 10 or 13 represents a king or flagship.
Fig. 11 or 14 represents a queen or right flagship.
Fig. 5 or 22 represents a rook, battleship or duke.
Fig. 4 or 16 represents a knight or cruiser.
or right duke.
Fig. 3 or 19 represents a centurion, destroyer or major.
Fig. 2 or 15 represents a bishop or torpedo.
Fig. 9 or 21 represents a queen's rook, right battleship
Fig. 8 or 20 represents a queen's knight or right cruiser.
Fig. 7 or 17 represents a Q. centurion, R. destroyer, or R. major.
Fig. 6 or 18 represents a queen's bishop or right torpedo.
Fig. 12 or 23 represents a pawn, prince or steamer.
RULES FOR FLYING SQUADRONS.
1. Flying squadrons is played on the centigrade board, which is similar to a
chessboard, but with 10 squares on each side, of which one square at each corner
is termed a port, and 4 other squares designated on the board are termed forts.
2. Each player is styled an admiral, and has 18 vessels at command-2 each
flagships, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and torpedoes, and 8 steamers.
3. Each admiral places his men-of-war in the rank nearest to him, in the
following order from left to right, between the ports, with his red-spotted vessels
on the right--battleship, cruiser, torpedo, flagship, R. flagship, R. torpedo, R.
cruiser, R, battleship. The 8 steamers are placed on the squares in front of
the 8 men-of-war, and the 2 destroyers are placed in front of the ports.
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page_text: 4. The object of each admiral is to steer one of his steamers into one of the
opposite ports, and whoever first succeeds in this object wins the game.
5. If both admirals lose all their steamers before one reaches a port, the victory
goes to the admiral who first steers a man-of-war into an opponent's port, but
no man-of-war may enter a port so long as any steamer remains to be captured
or protected.
6. The 2 ports nearest to each admiral may not be entered by any vessel
belonging to that admiral.
7. When any vessel is moved into a fort it becomes impregnable to capture,
but only so long as it remains in occupation of that fort.
8. If an admiral wishes to move a vessel through a fort which is in a square
that it commands, it may only be done when the fort is vacant, in which case
the vessel must harbour in the fort until one of the following moves, as a vessel
may not pass over a fort in one move.
9. A steamer commands one adjacent square in front of it in the same file,
and an adjacent square on each side of the one it occupies, in the same rank, and
has power to capture any vessel which is in a square that it commands, except
in the forts.
10. The men-of-war command squares in the same rank and file, backwards
or forwards, according to the powers marked on them, always counting the
square occupied as the first,-torpedoes, 2; destroyers, 3; cruisers, 4; battle-
ships, 5; flagships, 10; they may move into any squares which they command,
so far as they are vacant, and without passing over any fort; they may capture
any adverse vessel situated in any of those squares with no vessel between them,
in which case they must always occupy the squares vacated by the captured
vessels.
11. The right (or red-spotted) men-of-war also command as many squares
diagonally as they command in rank and file.
12. A vessel may not pass over another one, nor occupy the same square as
another one.
13. When a piece is touched it must be moved, or the turn forfeited.
14. If both players make the same moves twice in succession, a draw may be
claimed by either side.
15. If a move is not made within five minutes the turn is forfeited.
16. When any vessel legally enters an opponent's port, the port is
and the game ended thereby.
seized,"
The first
17. For recording games, each file is named after the man-of-war which occupies
its first square, those on the right being prefixed with an R. The first file on the
left is the destroyer's file; the second, the battleship's, and so on.
letters may be used alone for brevity. The squares in each file are numbered 1
to 10, beginning nearest the admiral. Thus, if a right battleship be moved to the
fifth square in the left destroyer's file, the move would be recorded R. B.-D. 5.
If the same vessel be moved to the fifth square on its own file, the move would be
recorded R. B.-R. B. 5.
CROWNING PRINCES.
1. This game is played on the centigrade board, with chessmen, or the sets
used in the zodiac games, arranged as in ordinary chess, and flying squadrons,
the corner squares being known as castles and left vacant.
2. The players are styled generals, each of whom commands 10 officers and
8 princes.
3. The 10 officers include 2 dukes (the rooks), 2 majors, 2 knights, 2 bishops,
and the king and queen. They are placed from left to right between the castles
in the following order in the ranks nearest to each general, duke, knight, bishop,
king, queen, bishop, knight, duke. The 8 princes are placed in the 8 squares
5 in the rank in front of these officers, and the 2 majors occupy the squares in front
of the castles.

page_text: . 4. It is the object of each general to promote one of the princes into one of his
opponent's castles, and whoever first succeeds in this object wins the game.
5.. If all, the princes on both sides are captured before one is promoted to a
castle, the victory goes, to the general who first promotes one of his officers into.an
opponent's castle, but no officer may be promoted to a castle so long as any prince
remains to be captured or protected.
..6.. The dukes, knights, bishops, and queen have the same powers of moving
and capturing as their representatives in chess. The king has the same power
of moving and capturing as the queen, and the princes command one adjacent
square before them in the same file, and one square on both sides of the one they
occupy. The majors command
squares adjacent to them in every direction,
rank, file, or diagonal, backwards or forwards.
7. Whenever a prince or officer moves into one of the 4 forts marked on the
board, he becomes impregnable to capture, and remains so as long as he remains
in occupation of that fort, but no longer.
€6
8. A fort may not be passed over by any officer, except the knights,
9. When a prince or officer is promoted to a castle, the move is known as
crowning."
10, 11, and 12, are the same as 13, 14, and 15 in flying squadrons.
RULES FOR CENTIGRADE CHESS.
1. The pieces are arranged on the centigrade board in the same way as for
ordinary chess, leaving the castle in each corner vacant, and placing a centurion
(marked with 3 spots) in the square in front of each castle, and in the same rank
with the princes (or pawns).
2. When the zodiac sets are used, 5 spots are the dukes (or rooks); 4, the
knights; 2, the bishops; the sun, the king; and the moon, the queen.
3. The pieces have the same powers as their representatives in ordinary chess,
and the centurions command 2 squares adjacent to them in each direction, rank,
file, or diagonal, backwards or forwards.
4. When any prince or officer is moved into one of the 4 central squares desig-
nating forts, it becomes impregnable to capture, but only so long as it remains
in occupation of that fort.
5. A fort, whether vacant or occupied, may not be passed over in one move by
any prince or officer, except the knights.
6. The castles, or corner squares, are treated in this game as ordinary squares.
7. The 2 outside files on the board are termed the flank files, the 4 right-hand
files being prefixed with an R; and the red-spotted pieces are always placed on
the right-hand side.
The other rules of the game are the same as for standard chess.
CENTIGRADE DRAUGHTS.
1. The sets of zodiac pieces, when they are reversed, may be used for draughts.
The men are placed on the centigrade board, on alternate squares in the 3 ranks
nearest to each player, and must be kept on squares of the same colour through-
out the game.
If only 12 men are used, instead of 15, the flank files are left
vacant in placing the men, but utilized in moving them. The 8 squares with
a special marking on the centigrade board are treated in this game as ordinary
squares.
The other rules are the same as for the standard game of draughts.
Any of the foregoing games may be played, with the same rules, on the boards
of 144 squares, which are made on the same design as those of 100 squares (see
drawing, Figure 1), and having the 8 forts or towers in the same relative positions.
When placing the pieces to commence the games on the 144 square boards, the
outside file on each side is left unoccupied, and the destroyers in flying squadrons,
.the majors in crowning princes, and the centurions in centigrade chess, are placed

page_text: on the second squares of the second files from either side instead of immediately
in front of the corner squares. In recording games the extra files are termed
the " left outside and "right outside.'
دو
The zodiac games referred to in the foregoing specification are those described
in my Complete Specification No. 1829, 1898.
The drawing which accompanies my specification shows in Figure 1 how the
board is divided into squares, with the relative positions of the ports or towers.
The vessels and officers are made individually distinguishable in the draught-
shaped pieces by the markings upon them shown in my drawing, Figures 2 to 12,
Figures 6 to 9 being done in a different colour from the others in order to identify
them as the right or queen's side pieces; and in the chess-shaped sets the officers
and vessels are distinguished by the variations in their shapes shown in Figures 13
to 22.
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:
―
That the features of novelty in the board consist in distinguishing the squares
at each corner and the four other squares marked with a cross on my design
Figure 1, for ports, towers, or for the special purposes described in the rules;
and for the purposes of chess and draughts in providing 100 or 144 equal squares
of alternate colours for a base of play, with certain of the squares distinguished
as in my appended drawing, Figure 1; and the features of novelty in the pieces
consist in their designs and shapes as given in my figures numbered 2 to 23
in the accompanying drawing, for the representation of the different ranks and
degrees of officers and vessels; and the special novelty of the pieces for use in
chess consists in their method of distinguishing the king's side from the queen's
side pieces, by their variations in shape and the colours of their spots, and also
in providing two original pieces in addition to the 16 pieces in common use for
chess, these two extra pieces being termed " centurions," and having novel
powers as described in my third rule given above for centigrade chess.
And I claim the sole right under the British Patent Acts to manufacture and
supply any games containing sets of pieces to represent the different classes of
vessels and officers as described by me in the foregoing specification, and any
sets of chessmen containing the two extra pieces for centurions, and any boards
containing the eight squares with the special distinction described above, and any
games containing any of the features of novelty I have described in the fore-
going specification.
JAMES PARFITT BRITTEN,
Applicant.