CHESSMEN
United States Patent 3677550
Each piece in a set of chessmen, other than the kings, has a uniform cross-sectional shape which is linearly symbolic of its permitted mobility on a chessboard.
Application Number:
05/083887
Publication Date:
07/18/1972
Filing Date:
10/26/1970
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Export Citation:
Primary Class:
International Classes:
A63F3/02; A63F3/02
Field of Search:
273/137
Primary Examiner:
Lowe, Delbert B.
Claims:
I claim
1. A set of chess pieces consisting of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns, wherein the queen, the rooks, and the bishops have the uniform cross-sectional shapes shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, of the drawing.
1. A set of chess pieces consisting of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns, wherein the queen, the rooks, and the bishops have the uniform cross-sectional shapes shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, of the drawing.
Description:
In accordance with the present invention, each piece, other than the kings, of a set of chessmen has a uniform cross-sectional shape which is linearly symbolic of its permitted directional mobility on a chessboard.
A set of chessmen in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that each piece except the king is linearly symbolic or representational through its cross-sectional shape, of its permitted directional mobility on a chessboard.
Chessmen in accordance with the invention may be made in any suitable material, and a preferred method of manufacture is by extrusion in plastics material or metal. Suitable plastics material are polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C) and Perspex.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which the six different pieces of a set of chessmen are shown in isometric views. In the drawing;
FIG. 1 shows a queen,
FIG. 2 a rook or castle,
FIG. 3 a king,
FIG. 4 a bishop,
FIG. 5 a knight and
FIG. 6 a pawn.
The pieces or men shown in the drawing are extrusions of a suitable plastics material such as P.V.C. or Perspex and, as can be seen, the queen (FIG. 1) is shaped in cross-section to indicate that it can be moved universally on the chequered board on which the game of chess is played. The rook (FIG. 2) is shaped to indicate that it can be moved in a straight line forwards, backwards or laterally over any number of unoccupied squares, and the bishop (FIG. 4) is shaped to indicate that it can be moved diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares. The complex movements permitted to the knight (FIG. 5) are represented by a Y-shape, and the V-shape of the pawn (FIG. 6) is indicative of the two single-square diagonal movements available to this piece in capturing an opposing piece. The closed continuous surround of the king is symbolic of its unique importance and of the locus of the points to which it can move, its comparative immobility being inherent in the radially static symmetrical configuration. The chessmen may be of any convenient height, for example three-fourths to seven-eighths of an inch or thereabouts.
A set of chessmen in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that each piece except the king is linearly symbolic or representational through its cross-sectional shape, of its permitted directional mobility on a chessboard.
Chessmen in accordance with the invention may be made in any suitable material, and a preferred method of manufacture is by extrusion in plastics material or metal. Suitable plastics material are polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C) and Perspex.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which the six different pieces of a set of chessmen are shown in isometric views. In the drawing;
FIG. 1 shows a queen,
FIG. 2 a rook or castle,
FIG. 3 a king,
FIG. 4 a bishop,
FIG. 5 a knight and
FIG. 6 a pawn.
The pieces or men shown in the drawing are extrusions of a suitable plastics material such as P.V.C. or Perspex and, as can be seen, the queen (FIG. 1) is shaped in cross-section to indicate that it can be moved universally on the chequered board on which the game of chess is played. The rook (FIG. 2) is shaped to indicate that it can be moved in a straight line forwards, backwards or laterally over any number of unoccupied squares, and the bishop (FIG. 4) is shaped to indicate that it can be moved diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares. The complex movements permitted to the knight (FIG. 5) are represented by a Y-shape, and the V-shape of the pawn (FIG. 6) is indicative of the two single-square diagonal movements available to this piece in capturing an opposing piece. The closed continuous surround of the king is symbolic of its unique importance and of the locus of the points to which it can move, its comparative immobility being inherent in the radially static symmetrical configuration. The chessmen may be of any convenient height, for example three-fourths to seven-eighths of an inch or thereabouts.