Piece (board game)

“ In case of a clear board, should the player next to the person who has made the clear board not have any cards to take, he must throw one down. At the end of the game, the cards that each player has taken are counted up, and the points made accordingly. ”

“ A number of tops, teetotums, or champions of different colours are spun in the centre of the board by different players, and these tops are apt to strike and knock each other about. The player whose top dies nearest the centre of the board wins the game. ”

“ When good players commence the game, from the first they have in mind the entire board, and they generally play a stone in each of the four corners and one or two around the edges of the board, sketching out, as it were, the territory which they ultimately hope to obtain. ”

“ Handicaps are given by the stronger player allowing the weaker player to place a certain number of stones on the board before the game begins, and we have seen in the chapter on the Description of the Board that these stones are placed on the nine dotted intersections. If one stone is given, it is usual to place it in the upper right-hand corner. ”

“ The object of the game is to capture all your opponent’s men, or so to block them in that they cannot move. The player who first accomplishes one of these ends wins the game.
One or two rules are absolute. The offered man must be taken, when the player says ‘Take,’ and a man touched must, if it can, be moved.
In placing the board for the game, the double corners must be at the right-hand of the player, which brings us at once to the
NOTATION OF DRAUGHTS —the method by which the moves of a game or problem are recorded. ”

“ Nevertheless, many players can play about as well when they do not see the board at all, as when they do. They make a mental picture of the board, sit blindfolded, and as the game goes on, they keep track of every move, as they are told what it is, by altering their inner picture. ”

“ A rope is stretched between the poles at such a height as is suited to the size of the players, or as agreed on to make the game more or less difficult, and on this are strung a number of pieces of board, A, each having a ring of spring steel, B, attached to its lower end. The purpose of the game is to run at good speed between the poles and catch a ring on a spear, each player being entitled to make a certain number of runs, and the winner being the one who can catch the most rings. ”

“ On closer examination he finds that the game is called táb, and that it is a sort of backgammon played on an oblong checker-board, or four rows of little holes in the ground, where bits of stone on one side and bits of red brick on the other do duty as draughts, being shifted from place to place in the rows of squares or holes. Not dice, but lots, are cast to regulate the moves ”

“ Each player is provided with dice and dice-box, or, if it be preferred, the game may be played with a common numbered teetotum. The board on which the game is played is arranged as shown in the accompanying diagram, and three pieces or men are allotted to each player, who—according to the throws of the dice, and subject to such laws as have been laid down, or as may be laid down, by the players—has to move these men first along the two outer rows of squares up towards home, returning the reverse way, and ultimately up the centre row to home. Whoever first reaches home wins the game. ”

“ With the game-board are furnished, magic wands, polished steel balls, an "extra strength" horseshoe magnet, and a complete set of illustrated rules and directions for playing.
"Unlike all other games." "Any one can play Hustle-Ball." "Just the thing for progressive parties." "Hustle-Ball games are intensely exciting." "No waiting for some one to play." "You win or lose a point in a few seconds." "By handicapping the best players, all games are made equally interesting and exciting." ”

“ The game proceeds by moving the men round towards home, or by hitting blots and sending them back, until one of the players gets all his men into his inner table or home. As soon as this stage is reached, the player who has accomplished it begins to take his men off the board or to bear them. Thus, suppose he has several men on every point of his table, and throws six, quatre ; he bears one man from his six point, and one from his quatre point. ”

“ The art is French, but the ideas may have come from anywhere, like the game of chess which the pilgrims or crusaders brought home from Syria. In the Oriental game, the King was followed step by step by a Minister whose functions were personal. The crusaders freed the piece from control; gave it liberty to move up or down or diagonally, forwards and backwards; made it the most arbitrary and formidable champion on the board, while the King and the Knight were the most restricted in movement; and this piece they named Queen, and called the Virgin:— ”

“ If he does not finish it within that number of moves, the game to be relinquished as drawn. If there are three kings to two on the board, the subsequent moves are not to exceed forty. Advice.—The men should be kept as much as possible in a wedge form towards the center of the board. ”

“ In the romances, however, the chess-board is sometimes spoken of as made of ormier, or elm. In fact, when the game of chess came into extensive use, it became necessary not only to make the chess-board and men of less expensive materials and smaller, but to give to the latter simple conventional forms, instead of making them elaborate sculptures. ”

“ You will need a pill-box for a counter. Glue its cover on tight, and put a number one on its top and a number two on its base.
Play in turn, and toss the counter to see how far you can move. When the counter falls, take the number that is on its top and move as many triangles in either direction as the counter indicates.
Each player takes a different colored button to begin the game. Each button is placed in an opposite corner of the board. Each player must try to catch the other player by getting onto his triangle. The first to catch the other player three times is winner. ”

“ Among the indoor amusements are a number of games of skill. A very popular game is played by suspending a small ring of ivory by a string to the roof; another string, steadied by a weight, hangs below the ring, often in a vessel of water to prevent it swinging too violently. The string is twisted so that the ring revolves rapidly, and all stand round and attempt to pierce it with small wooded lances. A prize is given to the first successful one, who in turn donates a prize to the second, and so on. ”

“ One limitation of the game-board is that it can represent weather conditions only imperfectly—and this is a serious limitation that mayor may not be remedied as time goes on. The theory of the game-board is in fact in advance of the mechanism, and is waiting for some bright inventive genius for the remedy. ”

“ When they have thrown their bags they rush up to the board, gather up those which have gone wild and run back to the firing line. The one who gets his six bags in first wins the game. A bag thrown through the small centre hole counts as two. ”

“ The board has twenty-four points, coloured alternately red and blue; the implements of play are fifteen draught-men on each side, and the movements of the men are determined by the throw of two dice; each player being provided with a dice box and dies. It is an elaborate game to explain on paper, and would occupy too much space to be given in detail in this work. ”

“ Still, in cases where unclaimed stakes are left on from one round to another it is quite a common thing to terminate the game by dealing round the cards, face upwards, and giving to the holders of the various cards or combinations the pools corresponding to them, thus making a clear board. ”

“ The process of connecting the various groups with the edge of the board gives rise to end positions in which there is more or less similarity in all games, and most of the illustrations which are now given are examples of this class. The end positions which occur in the middle of the board may vary so much in every game that it is practically impossible to give typical illustrations of them. ”

“ It is of great importance that the beginner acquires a clear idea of the appearance of the board so that he can see it in his " Mind's Eye," when it is not really before him. He should be able to tell at once what squares are commanded by a certain Piece in a given position, and he should also be able to play on boards with squares of other color combinations than the one with which he is familar, such as red and white, black and white, black and yellow, brown and yellow, etc. ”

“ On the deck is set up a short wooden pin, or pole. Each player is given several rings of rope, some large and some small.
Standing a short distance away from the pin, each player tries to toss all his or her rope rings over the little pole. The one who tosses the largest number of rings over the pin wins the game.
Some of the men and women passengers played this game, but just now the rings were not in use, and Bunny and Sue took them. They placed the pin, set in its wooden base, on the deck near a companionway and began to toss the rings. ”

“ The smallest board in the museum collection holds 96, the largest, of wood, 180 men. The board is set up, leaving one space empty, and the game is played by jumping, the color remaining longest on the board winning the game. ”

“ Across, from side-plate to side-plate, lay some loose boards, for a platform; then, standing on these boards, let your assistant lift one end of the ridge-plank, while with one nail to each rafter you fasten the two end-rafters on to the ridge-plank, fit the jaws of the bird’s-mouth cuts (Fig. 71) over the ends of the side-plates, and hold them temporarily in place with a “stay-lath”—that is, a piece of board temporarily nailed to rafter and end-plate. ”

“ In that case he takes the two or four pieces with those in the hole opposite, and if one or more of the holes that follow contains two or four without the intervention of a hole with any other number, he takes their contents with those opposite. The second player takes from the hole g, and distributes his pieces around A, B, C. If the head is empty, the player takes from the next nearest hole in his row. When the board is cleared, each player counts the number he has above his opponent as his gains. ”

“ When a player has completed his turn, has played all possible cards, or has been stopped, he will place one card face up on the table in front of him as a reserve pile. Each player is entitled to six reserve piles, each lying face up and side by side. When a player cannot make at least one play, he shall draw into his hand from the draw pile until he can play or until the draw pile is exhausted. Each plays in turn until some player has played all the cards from his hand, which entitles him to the game. ”

“ After all the pieces are placed on the board, they are moved alternately backwards and forwards along the lines; and as often as either of the players succeeds in accomplishing a row of three, he claims one of his antagonist’s men, which is placed in the pound (the centre) , and he who takes the most pieces wins the game. It is played on a board whereon are marked three squares, one being denominated the pound. It is sometimes played with pegs, bits of paper, or wood, or stone. It is called “Peg Morris” by Clare, the Northamptonshire poet. ”

“ In the two-handed game 19 men are employed on each side, coloured respectively black and white; in the four-handed each player has 13, the men being coloured white, black, red and green. At the beginning of the game the men are drawn up in triangular formation in the enclosures, or yards, diagonally opposite each other in the corners of the board. The object of each player is to get all his men into his enemy’s yard, the player winning who first accomplishes this. ”

“ A man may take an opponent's man by leaping over him and taking up the vacant square beyond him, the piece taken being removed from the board.
A man may take two or three men at one move, provided he can leap over each in succession. To understand this, place a white man at 18, 11, and 25, and a black man at 29, all other pieces being removed from the board. ”

“ The players move alternately, and the general principle is to get three pieces together in a line anywhere on the dots or holes, while at the same time preventing your adversary from making a line. 'Nine-penny,' 'Six-penny,' and 'Three-penny' differ only in the number of men each side and the form of the board (see diagrams) . The 'board' is scratched or chalked out on paving-stones, drawn on the slate, cut deep into the turf on the downs, or the top of the corn-bin (with holes instead of dots) , in short, made anywhere and anyhow. ”

“ Five cards of a suit, or four with pam, make a flush which sweeps the board, and yields only to a superior flush, or the elder hand. When the ace of trumps is led, it is usual to say, "Pam be civil;" the holder of which last-mentioned card must then let the ace pass. Any player with five cards of a suit (a flush) looes all the players who stand in the game. The rules in this game are the same as in Three Card Loo.
101. Put
The game of Put is played with an entire pack of cards, generally by two, but sometimes by four persons. ”

“ At first the players choose by lot which shall have the first roll; but in all future games the side that wins has the first roll. To make this choice, the leader of one side holds behind him a colored in one hand, and a white ball in the other; and the leader of the other side guesses, right or left. If he guesses the hand which holds the color of his own side he gains the right to begin the game; if not, the other side begins. The leader first rolls the black ball on the lawn to such a distance as he chooses, from a starting-line. ”