Arithmetic board game

Abstract

What is described is an arithmetic board game with a square grid board of spaces and a set of 135 playing tiles bearing indicia as pips representing fifteen each of the numerals zero through eight which are as well colored in nine distinct hues corresponding to the numerals. The challenge to players is to alternately form straight lines from their individually held six randomly drawn tiles as a row, column or diagonal line which interlocks with other lines previously placed on the playing board. Each of said lines is required to have a numerical sum of zero, nine or any multiple of nine. Scoring is based on the numerical summation of each newly formed line, one point earned for each nine value of said line. The numerical values of tiles are chosen to be represented in the form of pips, as on dominoes, in order to be equally readable from any viewing direction by two to four players and are as well keyed to colors of the tiles in order to be instantly recognizable at a glance of the playing board crucial to timely playing of the board game.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 . A numerical problem game for two to four players, equally and readily legible from any of four viewing directions by said players, comprising:
 a playing board subdivided by lines marked thereon into a grid of like and contiguous playing squares;   a playing set of square tiles numbering about 60% as many as the number of said playing squares, each of the said tiles of the same surface area as said playing squares;   a tile holding rack which each player must fill with six of said tiles prior to making his/her play, said rack designed to display six tiles at a convenient angle for view by a player yet concealed from view by other players;   a cloth receiving bag for containing said playing set of tiles, said bag passed from player to player on the occasion of each play in order that each player may take in blind-draw his/her compliment of six of said playing tiles each; and   a box sized to store all of the game parts.   
     
     
         2 . A numerical problem game of  claim 1  having a playing board comprising:
 cloth material that may lay flat on any level table, said material of a flexible nature that can be rolled into a cylindrical form for storage in said box, said cloth coated with clear silicone rubber for added frictional purchase with said playing tiles to help prevent worrisome slipping of said tiles during play; and 
 printed lines which subdivide the playing area of said board into like-sized playing squares with an X marking the board's center square to indicate the position for an opening play by a first player of the game, and further markings in a plurality of certain other of said squares to indicate premium squares. 
 
     
     
         3 . A numerical problem game of  claim 1  having a playing set of square tiles comprising:
 individual said tiles made of wood or plastic of a thickness which allows a player to stand said tile on its edge in a tentative location on a playing square of said board to be viewed and studied by a player before finalizing his/her play by laying said tile into said square; 
 pips stamped into top, square surfaces of said tiles, said pips numbering zero to eight that indicate nine different numerical values ranging from zero to eight, respectively, the number of said pips being equally and readily legible from any viewing direction by all players; 
 colors painted onto top, square surfaces of said tiles, said colors being nine distinct hues associated with each of the nine said numerical values, said colors lending facility for quickly identifying locations of any given numerical value of said tiles on said board at a glance by a player during his/her decision making process; and 
 a plurality of such as number about 60% of the number of playing squares of said board so that a game may be played to its conclusion, viz., placement of all or most of said playing set of tiles on said board in accordance with the rules of the game. 
 
     
     
         4 . A numerical problem game of  claim 1  having a cloth receiving bag constructed so that:
 the said playing set of tiles is amply contained with some slack space so that said tiles can be readily shuffled within said bag, and so that sufficient depth is provided by said bag to allow a player to reach with one hand and wrist into said bag to grasp a desired number of said tiles without seeing numeric values of same before draw of said tiles from said bag; and 
 an external tying chord is attached to said bag that can be threaded around the outside of said bag and tied to secure the said tile set within said bag for storage in said box.