WO1996022139A1

WO1996022139A1 - A device for keeping score and recording the course of a board game

Info

Publication number: WO1996022139A1
Application number: PCT/NL1995/000426
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martine Mees
Original assignee: Martine Mees
Priority date: 1995-01-20
Filing date: 1995-12-19
Publication date: 1996-07-25
Also published as: NL9500102A

Abstract

A device for keeping score notating and/or recording the course of a board game, in particular a game of chess, which game is played on a board comprising squares which are characterized by combinations of letters and/or numerals, during which game moves are made, whereby pieces are placed on a square. The device is provided with storage means for storing the successive moves of a game, with a keyboard comprising specific keys for inputting the successive moves of the game in question, and with output means for transferring the recording of the course of the game.

Description

A DEVICE FOR KEEPING SCORE AND RECORDING THE COURSE OF A BOARD GAME

The invention relates to a device for keeping score and/or recording the course of a board game, in particular a game of chess, which game is played on a board comprising squares (fields) which are characterized by combinations of letters and/or numerals, during which game moves are made, whereby pieces are placed on a square . The terms chess or game of chess used herein are only given by way of example and are to be considered as such. The invention may also be used with other board games, such as checkers, go, strategy, backgammon, shoji, etc.

With this kind of games it is usual that each move made by the players is manually notated on a form during the game, thus recording the course of the game. On the one hand this recording makes it possible to check the moves that have been made, whilst on the other hand the course of the game constitutes an important part of the outcome of the game. The scoresheet is of importance for the tournament committee, the seconds, the press, bulletins, tournament records, players' archives and any databases, and an analysis of the game at a later stage, which may or may not take place by means of a chess computer. Moreover, the recording of the course of the game may be a decisive factor with regard to the outcome of the game, because it may show an .illegal combination of moves or a combination that was important for some other reason.

The manual notating of the moves on paper by the players has a number of drawbacks, in the very first place the fact that the players' handwriting is often not very well legible, especially when players get into time-trouble, whereby the scoresheet frequently becomes completely illegible. Furthermore errors are often made when copying the scoresheet by hand or in another manner, partly because a number of different systems of notation are used. The various systems of notation often use different symbols or different languages to indicate the pieces and/or the squares. Furthermore it takes much time to notate the moves on paper by hand. In case of time trouble players are therefore allowed to notate the moves afterwards. In practice both hands must often be used to fill in a form, whereby the hand which is not used for writing holds the form. A further drawback is the fact that the only scoresheet that is available must be handed to the tournament committee after a game, as a result of which it is not available, at least temporarily so, for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for notating and/or recording the course of a board game, whereby said notating may take place in an efficient, simple and error-free manner, whereby the course of the game can be printed in any desired form, producing several copies, if desired, or be further processed in an efficient and error-free manner.

In order to accomplish that objective the device is provided with storage means for storing the successive moves of a game, with a keyboard comprising specific keys for inputting the successive moves of the game in question, and with output means for transferring the course of the game. The number of errors made during the inputting of the moves is minimized in that the device only comprises keys which are specifically intended for the game in question. Since the device is suitable for right-handed as well as left-handed use, this means a solution for the problem which a left-handed player is faced with when notating moves . According to another aspect of the invention the device is provided with a display, for example an LCD display, which shows the latest move or moves that has (have) been input. The dimensions of the display may thereby be such that a greater number of moves is constantly displayed, so that the player and others, for example the arbiter, are able to see the latest part of the course of the game at all times- The display may thereby be designed in order to show different forms of notation, if desired.

According to another aspect of the invention the output means comprise a printer, so that it is possible either to print every move that is made and input while the game is in progress, or to print the scoresheet at any desired moment. If a noiseless or substantially noiseless printer is used, printing during the game will be possible, so that the player will at all times be able to see that part of the course of the game which has been input up to that moment.

According to another aspect of the invention the output means may comprise a connector for connecting a linking line, which makes it possible to connect the device to a data processing and/or storage unit, such as a computer. This prevents the occurrence of copying errors when the scoresheet is being processed, published etc. Furthermore it is possible in this manner to communicate each move without any delay to a medium such as teletext during the game, so that the actual game can be followed by a large group of people.

According to the invention the device may furthermore be provided with transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting data, for example by means of infrared rays.

According to another aspect of the invention means may be provided for inserting a smart card or another card, which is for example provided with a magnetic strip or with another electronic, magnetic or optical storage medium, which storage medium forms part of the storage and/or output means of the device. Furthermore it is possible to input other data by means of said medium, such as the name and other details of the player, and possibly a position, for example of a game broken off previously. With a device of this type said medium may constitute the only storage and or output means, whereby the device is not provided with internal storage means, thus making it possible to prevent fraud. When a device of this type is used it is possible to ensure that the only thing that is stored is the input score of the game.

According to another aspect of the invention the device may be provided with a processing unit, which is programmed in such a manner that it can check whether the input move is possible and/or legal, and that means are provided which deliver a signal when the input move is impossible or illegal. This may be of assistance both in verifying whether the input move is the move that was actually made and in verifying whether the move that has been made is a legal move .

According to a further aspect of the invention means may be provided for interconnecting two devices, whether or not wirelessly, so that data may be exchanged or compared mutually. The device may thereby comprise a clock or be connected to a clock which is capable of keeping tally of the time used by the players. It is for example possible thereby to have the player who has made a particular move input the move in question for both devices, whereby the counting down of the playtime for the player in question is stopped after the move has been input .

Preferably the printer of the device is adapted to print the scoresheet and/or a position in different manners during the game, for example using different forms of notation or printing the position in the form of a diagram.

Further aspects of the invention, which may be used both separately and in combination with each other, will be apparent from the description of the embodiment and/or be defined in the claims.

Hereafter an embodiment of the invention will be described by way of illustration with reference to the drawing.

Figure 1 is a front view of the embodiment; and Figure 2 is a side view thereof .

The figures are merely schematic illustrations of the embodiment .

Figure 1 shows a housing 1 of the device, which is for example made of plastic material. At its upper side the device comprises a number of keys, which can be pressed with a finger. In the present embodiment said keys are specifically intended for chess, so that the moves made during a game of chess can be input in the device in an efficient manner.

Numeral 2 indicates five keys, which are placed in a row. Each of said keys corresponds with a particular piece, namely with the piece whose figurine is represented on the key. Instead of the figurines also the usual letters from the desired language can be represented on the keys, if this should be preferred by a player. The pawn used in chess is not represented on a key, because this piece is not usually mentioned on the scoresheet.

Numeral 3 indicates keys carrying the letters a - h, and numeral 4 indicates eight keys carrying numerals 1 - 8. By means of keys 3 and 4 every one of the sixty-four squares on a chess board can be indicated. A horizontal row (rank) of squares is thereby indicated with a numeral, and a vertical row (file) of squares is indicated with a letter. In chess this is a very common way of indicating the squares, whereby square "al" is located in the left-hand bottom corner, seen from the position of the player who plays the white pieces and square "h8" is located in the right-hand top corner, seen from the position of said player. When a player moves the knight from square "gl" to "f3", for example, this move may be input in the device by pressing that key of keys 2 with the figurine representing the knight and then pressing key "g" of keys 3 and key "1" of keys 4, after which key 5 may be pressed to indicate that the knight is moved from the input square to the square which will be subsequently input by pressing key "f" of keys 3 and key "3" of keys 4. Key 5 therefore means "goes to" . When a piece is captured, key 6 is pressed instead of key 5, and when the opponent is put in "check", key 7 may be pressed. The symbols represented on keys 5, 6 and 7 are the usual indications in chess for the actions in question. When key 7 is pressed twice ("++") this means "checkmate". Located beside the five keys 2 is key 8, which may be used to indicate a castling. It is usual to indicate a short castling by 0-0 and a long castling by 0-0-0, and in order to input this key 8 may be pressed the desired number of times.

The keyboard is furthermore provided with a key 9, provided with a "C", by means of which a possible error may be corrected, since pressing key 9 will undo the last action that was performed. Furthermore a key 10 is provided, which must be used to indicate that the inputting of a move has been completed. It will be apparent that by using these keys, which are completely destined to inputting the moves of a game of chess in an efficient manner, the number of errors made during the inputting of the moves can be minimized. The device is furthermore provided with a display 11, which in the present embodiment only displays the notation of the latest move that was made and the move that is being input. The moves of the player who plays the white pieces are thereby displayed on the left and the moves of the player who plays the black pieces are displayed on the right . Between these moves the display shows the automatically generated serial number of the respective moves. To the right of the display 11 two keys 12, 13 are present. Key 13 may be used to view previous moves on the display, whilst key 12 may be used to return to the notation of the latest move. In this way the player is able to retrieve previous moves on the display. Of course it is also possible to use a larger display than is shown in Figure 1, so that a larger part of the score of the game can be displayed thereon.

Above the display 11 a number of function keys are provided, which may be used to give certain commands. Key 14 may for example be used to give the command to print the scoresheet. Key 15 may be used to set various forms of notation, if desired, which are shown on display 11 and/or printed by means of a printer. In this context the algebraic notation as shown in the embodiment may be considered, but also a descriptive form of notation, whereby the respective move is described in words and/or in letters. Furthermore it is possible to use both Latin and Cyrillic script, a shortened notation, whereby only the square to which the piece is being moved is mentioned, or to use those letters for the pieces which are usual in the various languages.

By pressing key 16 a particular layout of the notation may be selected, for example, such as a particular location for the numbers of the moves. It is also possible to place annotations with moves, such as "!" or "?". Furthermore it is possible to set an original position, for example, or a position of a broken-off game.

Key 18 may be used to set certain time intervals, for example to indicate that a time limit is approaching or being exceeded. The device is furthermore provided with a printer, by means of which the scoresheet can be printed, in the form it is represented on notation form 20. This may be a score sheet with a prescribed dimension and imprint. In the embodiment it is only indicated that Sjirov plays white and Karpov plays black, whilst the names of the players are written in handwriting. In the embodiment each move is printed during the game, so that the entire course of the game played so far is represented on form 20 at all times. This makes it possible for the player and the arbiters and/or others to see the entire course of the game, as is also the case now when the game is notated by hand. As already said before, the printing of the course of the game may take place in any desired form of notation.

Figure 2 is a side view of the device, showing a switch 21 for turning the device on and off. Furthermore an input 22 is present for an external power supply for the device. The power supply of the device may also comprise batteries, which may or may not be rechargeable, or another supply source, such as a solar cell.

The device is furthermore provided with at least one connector 23 for connecting an electric conductor, by means of which the device can be connected to another similar device or to a clock, for example a chess clock. When two devices are interconnected, said devices may be programmed in such a manner that each player only needs to input his own move, after which said move is recorded in both devices. Furthermore the chess clock, which is operated after every move by the player, may be integrated therein, so that the inputting of a move at the same time forms the signal to the clock to stop the time for the player in question. In addition to that the point of time of every move may be recorded, which may constitute significant additional information when the course of the game is being evaluated. To that end a clock may be incorporated in the device.

Connector 23 may also be used for transferring the course of the game during the game to for example a processing unit, which verifies and further processes the game and for example displays the moves in the desired form to the public or for example publishes said games via teletext .

The device is furthermore provided with an infrared transmitter and/or receiver 24, by means of which data can be wirelessly transmitted and received. Furthermore an antenna may be provided, of course, for transmitting or receiving radio signals.

The device is furthermore provided with a slot 25 for inserting a smart card. Said smart card may contain details of the players and/or be used for storing the recording of the course of the game . Said smart card may for example be handed to the arbiters for verification after a game has been completed or broken off. Furthermore it is possible to provide the device with a disk station, which is not shown in the present embodiment, however. It is also possible to use another electronic, magnetic or optic storage means.

At its bottom side the device is provided with feet 28, with which the device can be firmly placed on a table.

Also other functions may be incorporated in the device, if desired. Thus the device may be rendered suitable for being used in simultaneous games, whereby the simul player can keep score of a number of games at the same time.

Furthermore special storage space may be incorporated, which enables a player to store games which are important for him. A processing unit in the device may be programmed to verify the putting in check of a player or to verify continuously whether a respective move is legal. Furthermore a processing unit may record the position, so that said position can be printed, for example in the form of a diagram, at any desired moment.

The illustrated embodiment is to be considered as an example of the invention. Depending on the circumstances other functions may be incorporated and other keys may be used, or the keys may be indicated in a different manner.

Claims

1. A device for keeping score and/or recording the course of a board game, in particular a game of chess, which game is played on a board comprising squares which are characterized by combinations of letters and/or numerals, during which game moves are made, whereby pieces are placed on a square, said device being provided with storage means for storing the successive moves of a game, with a keyboard comprising specific keys for inputting the successive moves of the game in question, and with output means for transferring the recording of the course of the game.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said device is provided with a display, for example an LCD display, which shows the latest move or moves that has (have) been input.

3. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said output means comprise a printer.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said output means comprise a connector for connecting a linking line, which makes it possible to connect the device to a data processing and/or storage unit, such as a computer.

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting data, for example by means of infrared rays.

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means are provided for inserting a smart card or another card, which is for example provided with a magnetic strip of with another electronic, magnetic or optical storage medium, which storage medium forms part of the storage and/or output means of the device and/or which makes it possible to input data into the device .

7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a processing unit is provided, which is programmed in such a manner that it can check whether the input move is possible and/or legal, and that means are provided which deliver a signal when the input move is impossible or illegal .

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means are provided for interconnecting two devices in order to exchange or compare data mutually.

9. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that said device comprises a clock or may connected to a clock which is capable of keeping record of the time used by the players.

10. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said output means comprise a printer, which is capable of printing the scoresheet and/or a position in different manners during or after the game, for example using different forms of notation or printing the position in the form of a diagram.

11. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means are provided for communicating, whether or not wirelessly, with other devices, such as a similar device, a chess clock, an electronic chessboard, a chess computer, an external printer, etcetera.

12. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means are provided for recording the point of time or the interval of time of each move that has been input .

13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said keyboard or the legends on said keys can be exchanged or adapted.