TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a new type of puzzle board and a set of accompanying puzzle pieces and blocking pieces.

STATE OF THE ART

Many games intended as puzzles with a puzzle board are well known and conceivable, where the possibility is desired to adjust the mutual orientation of the puzzle board and other puzzle board components prior to solving the puzzle to a different variant of the puzzle board and/or the initial arrangement of the puzzle board components. This can make the game or puzzle more varied, more complex or longer challenging for an experienced player.

Often these are games designed as puzzles to cover all the positions of the puzzle board with the available set of puzzle pieces.

US20110291360 describes a game board having a wavy relief structure formed of a series of rises and dips extending at regular distances from one another in at least two different directions and whereby one or several game pieces are further formed as sliding pieces with one block or with several blocks which are connected to one another and whereby the lower contact surface of every block has a sloping shape which is predominantly complementary to the shape of the dips of the game board.

Known puzzles of this nature allow the player to adjust the initial arrangement of the puzzle board by already covering certain positions on the puzzle board with puzzle pieces prior to solving the puzzle according to an arrangement predetermined in an instruction manual or manual, where the available game modes and thus the possible solutions remain rather limited.

Moreover, a player will always have to accurately recreate or reconstruct the set-up on the puzzle board prior to solving the puzzle, which can waste time and also fun. Moreover, the player will always have to keep the possible initial arrangements and therefore the instructions or manual to hand, and it is often impossible to solve the puzzle if it is lost. Also, if the puzzle board is set up incorrectly at the beginning (wrong initial arrangement), the game or puzzle may become unsolvable.

The present invention seeks to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems or drawbacks. The object of the invention is to provide a puzzle board and a set of accompanying puzzle pieces which overcomes these drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a puzzle board and a set of accompanying puzzle pieces according to claim 1.

The invention is advantageous because the movable blocking pieces in the puzzle board allow the placement of the free positions and thus the placement of the positions occupied by puzzle pieces to be adjusted, thus allowing the puzzle pieces to be placed in different ways on the puzzle board. The number and location of the blocking grooves guarantee the player a solution for every possible initial arrangement of the blocking pieces. Thus, the puzzle can be changed each time by the player himself without the player having to stick to a predetermined initial arrangement of the puzzle board preset in a manual or instructions. Thus, after each change in the position of the blocking pieces, the player must find a new way of positioning the puzzle pieces so that all free positions are covered.

Preferred embodiments of the puzzle board with accompanying puzzle pieces are shown in claims 2 to 13.

A specific preferred embodiment relates to the invention a puzzle board and a set of accompanying puzzle pieces according to claim 7.

The preferred embodiment is advantageous because the blocking pieces can never leave the puzzle board. This guarantees that a particular blocking piece will always remain in the blocking groove it belongs to. This ensures that the player can always find a solution independently of the initial arrangement and avoids the player placing a blocking piece in a position outside the predestined blocking groove, possibly resulting in an initial arrangement for which there is no solution.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a process according to claim 14. The invention is advantageous because by iteratively minimizing the number of dead positions on the puzzle board with the boundary condition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible position of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves, the location of the blocking grooves in the puzzle board can be determined such that the player will always be able to find a solution to the puzzle for any blocking arrangement. Thus, the player can always choose his or her own blocking arrangement by positioning the blocking pieces according to a conformation in or on the puzzle board, whereby the player is not dependent on an instruction manual or guide.

A preferred embodiment of the process is shown in claim 15.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a puzzle board without blocking pieces.

Figure 2 shows a top view representation of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a set of puzzle pieces according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a schematic representation of a puzzle board without blocking pieces (A) and a set of adjacent positions of the puzzle board occupied by a set of accompanying puzzle pieces (B).

Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of a puzzle board without blocking pieces (A) and a set of adjacent positions of the puzzle board occupied by a set of accompanying puzzle pieces (B).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the technical field of the invention. For a better assessment of the description of the invention, the following terms are explicitly explained. "A", "the" and "the" refer to both singular and plural in this document unless the context clearly assumes otherwise. For example, "a segment" means one or more than one segment.

When "approximately" or "around" is used herein with respect to a measurable quantity, a parameter, a time or moment, and the like, it means variations of +/-20% or less, preferably +/-10% or less, more preferably +/-5% or less, even more preferably +/- 1% or less, and even more preferably +/-0.1% or less than and of the quoted value, insofar as such variations are applicable in the described invention. However, this should be understood to mean that the value of the quantity where the term "approximately" or "around" is used is itself specifically disclosed.

"Comprise", "comprising", and "comprises" and "comprised of" as used herein are synonymous with "include", "including", "includes" or "contain", "containing", "contains" and are inclusive or open-ended terms that specifies the presence of what follows e.g. component and do not exclude or preclude the presence of additional, non-recited components, features, element, members, steps, known in the art or disclosed therein.

The term "position”, as used in the text, refers to a part of the puzzle board suitable to be covered by a sphere of a puzzle piece.

The term "blocking piece", as used in the text, refers to an object that can block a position on the puzzle board by covering or filling it, making the position unavailable to receive a puzzle piece.

The term "free position", as used in the text, refers to positions on the puzzle board that are not blocked by a blocking piece.

The terms "initial arrangement" and "blocking arrangement " are synonyms and refer to a conformation or combination of positions taken by puzzle board components, such as blocking pieces, on the puzzle board prior to solving the puzzle.

The term "dead position", as used in the text, refers to a position on the puzzle board that cannot be blocked by a blocking piece.

The term "player", as used in the text, refers to a person playing a game or trying to solve a puzzle. The term "corresponding", as used in the text, refers to matching the shape of the spheres and the shape of the openings in the puzzle board, so that the spheres match the openings in the puzzle board.

The term "unique", as used in the text, refers to a shape different from any other shape, including shapes obtained by rotations and/or reflections.

Citing numeric intervals by the endpoints includes all integers, fractions and/or real numbers between the endpoints, these endpoints included.

The present invention relates to a puzzle board and a set of accompanying puzzle pieces.

In particular, the invention relates to a set of accompanying puzzle pieces comprising puzzle pieces comprising a number of spheres connected to each other.

By connecting the spheres in different ways, different figures can be obtained for a given number of spheres, each of which can form a puzzle piece. In particular, the puzzle pieces are formed by a number of spheres placed in a mono-axial, biaxial-orthogonal or hexaxial pattern, thus forming polyspheres such that they form one solid puzzle piece and such that they touch each other on at least one side or side.

More particularly, the invention relates to a puzzle board with regular positions forming a two-dimensional field.

Each position is hereby provided with a circular opening in the puzzle board, where it is intended as a puzzle to cover all the positions with the available set of puzzle pieces, with the spheres of the puzzle pieces filling the openings to a certain extent insofar as they are placed on the puzzle board.

The puzzle board is divided into regularly spaced positions, with each position suitable for receiving a sphere of a puzzle piece. Consequently, one puzzle piece is suitable for covering several positions of the puzzle board, according to the number of spheres the puzzle piece is composed of.

The puzzle board is also provided with blocking grooves connecting the openings of multiple adjacent positions of the puzzle board. Each blocking groove includes a blocking piece, which is movable through the blocking groove and is intended for blocking a position of the puzzle board in the blocking groove. The number and/or location of the blocking grooves on the puzzle board is determined so that the puzzle always has at least one solution for each blocking arrangement.

Each blocking piece is capable of blocking one position inside the blocking groove to which it belongs, thus obtaining the largest number of possible blocking arrangements.

A blocking arrangement is a conformation or combination of positions taken by blocking pieces on the puzzle board used as the initial arrangement for solving the puzzle. The blocking arrangement determines in how many and in what ways the puzzle pieces can be positioned to cover all free positions.

The total number of blocking pieces and spheres of puzzle pieces is equal to the number of positions of the puzzle board, so a solution to the puzzle will consist of covering all positions of the puzzle board with blocking pieces and puzzle pieces.

The invention is advantageous because the movable blocking pieces in the puzzle board allow the arrangement of the free positions and thus the arrangement of the positions occupied by puzzle pieces to be adjusted, thus allowing the puzzle pieces to be placed in different ways on the puzzle board. The number and location of the blocking grooves guarantee the player a solution for every possible initial arrangement of the blocking pieces. Thus, the puzzle can be changed each time by the player himself without the player having to stick to a predetermined initial arrangement of the puzzle board preset in a manual or instructions. Thus, after each change in the position of the blocking pieces, the player must find a new way of positioning the puzzle pieces so that all free positions are covered.

According to an embodiment, the location of the blocking grooves is determined through an iterative process performed based on a defined set of puzzle pieces and a defined size and shape of the puzzle board, so that the puzzle always has at least one solution.

According to an embodiment, the location of the blocking grooves is determined through an iterative process performed on the basis of a defined set of puzzle pieces and a defined size and shape of the puzzle board with the precondition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible arrangement of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves, so that the puzzle always has at least one solution.

According to an embodiment, the puzzle board includes one or more dead positions, which are not part of a blocking groove and therefore cannot be blocked by a blocking piece. Together, the blocking grooves and the dead positions comprise all positions present on the puzzle board. According to a further embodiment, the number of dead positions is minimized during the iterative process and depends on the set of puzzle pieces accompanying the puzzle board. Dead positions are determined during the iterative process and indicate which positions may never be blocked by a blocking piece so that there is always at least one solution to be found by the player.

According to an embodiment, the blocking pieces have a color different from the puzzle pieces, making them clearly distinguishable from each other.

According to another embodiment, the blocking pieces have a shape different from the puzzle pieces, making them clearly distinguishable from each other.

According to an embodiment, the total number of spheres of the puzzle pieces is equal to the number of free positions of the puzzle board, namely the number of positions of the puzzle board minus the number of positions covered by blocking pieces. In this way, it is ensured that all positions of the puzzle board can be covered and thus the puzzle can be solved by the player.

Positions can be depicted in many ways, such as, but not limited to, the use of color, the use of drawn lines to form a grid, or inklings in the puzzle board.

According to an embodiment, a set of puzzle pieces accompanying a rectangular puzzle board comprises puzzle pieces consisting of a number of spheres connected to each other in a mono-axial or biaxial-orthogonal pattern.

According to an embodiment, a set of puzzle pieces accompanying a hexagonal puzzle board comprises puzzle pieces consisting of a number of spheres connected to each other in a mono-axial or hexaxial pattern, the spheres always lying in one plane.

According to an embodiment, the spheres of mono-axial puzzle pieces are planed to avoid rolling when the puzzle piece is not on the puzzle board.

According to an embodiment, mono-axial puzzle pieces are provided with a sphere containing a protrusion to prevent the puzzle piece from rolling when it is not on the puzzle board. According to an embodiment, all puzzle pieces are unique in shape. In this way, more and more complicated puzzles and/or solutions can be formed.

According to an embodiment, a puzzle piece includes a number of spheres smaller than the number of positions in one row or column in the puzzle board. In this way, a puzzle piece always fits on the puzzle board.

According to an embodiment, the diameter of a circular opening in the puzzle board is smaller than the diameter of a sphere of a puzzle piece, so that the puzzle piece or part of the puzzle piece can never fall through the opening, with the shape of the spheres correspond with the shape of the openings, so that they remain fixed in the openings in a resting position. This is advantageous so that the puzzle pieces do not simply shift position during puzzle solving.

According to an embodiment, the puzzle board is made of plastic, preferably hard plastic, such as polycarbonate, ABS or polypropylene. In this way, the puzzle board is robust and not easily damaged.

According to an embodiment, the width of the blocking grooves is smaller than the diameter of the openings in the puzzle board, so that the circular shape of the openings is maintained so that the shape of the spheres corresponds to the shape of the openings, so that they remain fixed in the openings in a resting position. This is advantageous so that the puzzle pieces do not simply shift position during puzzle solving.

According to an embodiment, the blocking pieces are not removably positioned in the blocking grooves of the puzzle board to ensure that the blocking pieces remain in the blocking grooves to which they belong. It is important that the blocking pieces remain positioned in the blocking groove to which they belong to ensure that all puzzle pieces can be placed on the puzzle board and also that a solution can always be found by the player.

According to an embodiment, the blocking pieces are suitable for being pushed into an opening at a position on the puzzle board by a player. In this way, the blocking piece will always remain in place when the puzzle pieces are placed and thus the blocking arrangement cannot just be accidentally adjusted by the player while solving the puzzle.

According to an embodiment, the blocking pieces are suitable for being pushed into an opening at a position of the puzzle board by a player through an elastic deformation of the material from which the blocking piece is constructed. In this way, the blocking piece will always remain in place when the puzzle pieces are placed and therefore the blocking arrangement cannot just be accidentally adjusted by the player while solving the puzzle. Moreover, the blocking pieces and the puzzle board will not be damaged when being pushed in and the pushing in will be easier thanks to the elastic deformation.

According to a preferred embodiment, the material from which the blocking piece is constructed is softer than the material from which the puzzle board is constructed. Thus, when pushed in, the blocking piece will not damage the puzzle board and the openings in the puzzle board.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the material that makes up the blocking piece is an elastomer. Thus, the blocking piece will yield smoothly with the push-in external force applied to the blocking piece without itself being damaged or permanently deformed.

According to an embodiment, the blocking piece is constructed according to an hourglass structure, wherein the diameter of the central, thinnest part of the hourglass is smaller than the width of the blocking groove, allowing the blocking piece to move through the blocking groove, and wherein the diameter or width of the top and bottom of the hourglass are larger than the openings in the puzzle board, preventing the blocking piece from being removable.

According to an embodiment, the blocking piece is constructed according to an hourglass structure, wherein the diameter of the central, thinnest part of the hourglass is smaller than the width of the blocking groove, allowing the blocking piece to move through the blocking groove, wherein the diameter or width of the top and bottom of the hourglass are larger than the openings in the puzzle board, such that the blocking piece is not removable, and wherein the hourglass has on at least one cross-section a diameter equal to the diameter of an opening in the puzzle board, such that the blocking piece can be secured in an opening in the puzzle board.

According to another embodiment, the blocking piece is composed of two discs having a diameter greater than the diameter of the openings in the puzzle board, connected at their centers by a cylinder having a diameter less than the width of the blocking grooves, the cylinder widening towards the top of the blocking piece to a diameter equal to the diameter of the openings in the puzzle board, such that the blocking piece can be pushed along the top of the puzzle board into an opening. This shape allows the blocking piece to be both moved through the blocking grooves and the openings in the puzzle board and fixed in an opening at a position of the puzzle board.

According to a further embodiment, the blocking pieces are suitable for being pushing back out of the opening by a player from the bottom of the puzzle board.

According to an embodiment, the puzzle board is fitted with a lid, making the puzzle portable and easy to be carried by the player in, for example, a pocket or a carrier bag without the puzzle pieces getting lost.

According to an embodiment, a puzzle piece comprises at least 2 and at most 5 spheres, preferably at least 3 and at most 4 spheres.

According to a preferred embodiment, the puzzle board consists of a square divided into twenty-five positions provided with openings and divided into five rows and five columns comprising three blocking grooves each containing a movable blocking piece and three dead positions. It is found that for a set of six unique puzzle pieces comprising between 3 and 4 spheres per puzzle piece, where in a puzzle piece comprising more than 3 spheres at least one sphere is always connected to another sphere in a biaxial- orthogonal direction, at least three dead positions are required to obtain a puzzle board having a solution according to any blocking arrangement.

According to a preferred embodiment, the puzzle board consists of a rectangle divided into thirty positions provided with openings and divided into five rows and six columns comprising four blocking grooves each containing a movable blocking piece and three dead positions. It has been found that for a set of seven unique puzzle pieces containing between 3 and 4 spheres per puzzle piece, a minimum of two dead positions are required to obtain a puzzle board having a solution according to any blocking arrangement.

According to a preferred embodiment, the puzzle board comprises a hexagon subdivided into nineteen hexagonal positions provided with openings and divided into five rows comprising three blocking grooves each containing a movable blocking piece and three dead positions. It is found that for a set of five unique puzzle pieces containing between 2 and 4 spheres per puzzle piece, where in a puzzle piece containing more than 2 spheres at least one sphere is always connected to another sphere in a hexaxial direction, no dead positions are required to obtain a puzzle board having a solution according to any blocking arrangement. In a second aspect, the invention relates to a process for designing a puzzle board.

According to a preferred embodiment, the process for designing a puzzle board having regular positions forming a two-dimensional field, wherein it is intended as a puzzle to cover all positions of the puzzle board with a set of accompanying puzzle pieces and blocking pieces, wherein the puzzle board has one or more blocking grooves wherein the blocking grooves connect the openings of multiple adjacent positions of the puzzle board to each other, and wherein each blocking groove comprises a blocking piece, movable through the blocking groove and intended to block a position of the puzzle board in the blocking groove, following steps:

Defining the dimensions of the puzzle board with regular positions forming a two- dimensional field;

Defining a set of puzzle pieces; iteratively minimizing the number of dead positions on the puzzle board with the precondition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible position of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves.

The invention is advantageous because by iteratively minimizing the number of dead positions on the puzzle board with the boundary condition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible position of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves, the number and location of the blocking grooves in the puzzle board can be determined such that the player will always be able to find a solution to the puzzle for any blocking arrangement. Thus, the player can always choose his or her own blocking arrangement by positioning the blocking pieces according to a conformation in or on the puzzle board, whereby the player is not dependent on an instruction manual or tutorial.

According to an embodiment, the process for the puzzle board comprising regular positions forming a two-dimensional field, wherein it is intended as a puzzle to cover all positions with the set of accompanying puzzle pieces and blocking pieces, the puzzle pieces comprising a plurality of spheres, connected to each other in a mono-axial, biaxial-orthogonal or hexaxial pattern, wherein each position is provided with a circular opening in the puzzle board wherein the spheres correspond to apertures in the puzzle board, wherein the puzzle board has one or more blocking grooves, wherein the blocking grooves connect the apertures of multiple adjacent positions of the puzzle board, and wherein each blocking groove comprises a blocking piece, movable through the blocking groove and intended for blocking a position of the puzzle board in the blocking groove, next steps: Defining the dimensions of the puzzle board with regular positions forming a two- dimensional field;

Defining a set of puzzle pieces; iteratively minimizing the number of dead positions on the puzzle board with the precondition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible position of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves.

The invention is advantageous because by iteratively minimizing the number of dead positions on the puzzle board with the boundary condition that the puzzle has at least one solution for each possible position of the blocking pieces in the blocking grooves, the location of the blocking grooves in the puzzle board can be determined such that the player will always be able to find a solution to the puzzle for any blocking arrangement. Thus, the player can always choose his or her own blocking arrangement by positioning the blocking pieces according to a conformation in or on the puzzle board, whereby the player is not dependent on an instruction manual or tutorial. In addition, the shape of the spheres corresponds with the shape of the openings, so they remain fixed in the openings in a rest position. This is advantageous so that the puzzle pieces do not simply shift position during puzzle solving.

In what follows, the invention is described using non-limiting figures illustrating the invention, which are not intended or to be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a puzzle board without blocking pieces. Figure 2 shows a plan view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 shows a perspectival view of a puzzle board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 shows a perspectival view of a set of puzzle pieces according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 shows a schematic view of a puzzle board without blocking pieces (A) and a set of adjacent positions of the puzzle board occupied by a set of accompanying puzzle pieces (B). Figure 8 shows a schematic representation of a puzzle board without blocking pieces (A) and a set of adjacent positions of the puzzle board occupied by a set of accompanying puzzle pieces (B). For benefits and technical effects of elements described below in the detailed figure description, please refer to the benefits and technical effects of corresponding elements described above in the detailed description.

A puzzle board 1 divided into five rows and five columns comprising twenty-five positions 2a-y regularly distributed in a grid. The positions 2a-y of the puzzle board are provided with a circular opening 3a-y in the puzzle board 1.

The puzzle board 1 is provided with three blocking grooves 4, wherein one blocking groove 4a connects the openings 3d-e-j-o-t-x-y of multiple adjacent positions 2d-e- j-o-t-x-y of the puzzle board 1 to each other, wherein one blocking groove 4b connects the openings 3a-b-g-h-i-l-q of multiple adjacent positions 2a-b-g-h-i-l-q of the puzzle board 1, and wherein one blocking groove 4c connects the openings 3m-n-p-r-u-v-w of multiple adjacent positions 2m-n-p-r-u-v-w of the puzzle board 1. Each blocking groove 4 includes a blocking piece 5, which is movable through the blocking groove 4 and is intended for blocking a position 2 of the puzzle board 1 in the blocking groove 4 to which the blocking piece 5 belongs.

On the puzzle board 1 shown in figure 2 and figure 3, the blocking pieces 5a-c block positions 2d, 2q and 2w.

On the puzzle board 1 shown in figure 4, the blocking pieces 5a-c block positions 2j, 21 and 2r.

On the puzzle board 1 shown in figure 5, the blocking pieces 5a-c block positions 2a, 2t and 2v.

The puzzle board 1 contains three dead positions 6a-c located at positions 2c, 2k and 2s, which are not part of a blocking groove 4 and thus cannot be blocked by a blocking piece 5. The blocking grooves 4 and the dead positions 6 together comprise all positions 2a-y present on the puzzle board 1.

A set 7 of six puzzle pieces 8 in the form of connected spheres 9 is shown in Figure 6. The spheres 9 in a puzzle piece 8 may be connected mono-axially 8a or biaxially- orthogonally 8b-f. A puzzle piece can consist of three spheres 8(a,d) or four spheres 8(b,c,e,f).

The spheres 9 are suitable for filling to some extent the openings 3 in the puzzle board 1, with the shape of the spheres 9 matching the shape of the openings 3. The diameter 12 of the spheres 9 is larger than the diameter 13 of the openings 3 in the puzzle board 1. The blocking pieces 5 are not removable from the blocking grooves 4 of the puzzle board 1, in that a blocking piece 5 is constructed from two disks 14 having a diameter 15 greater than the diameter 13 of the openings 3 in the puzzle board 1, joined at their centers by a cylinder having a diameter less than the width 16 of the blocking grooves 4, the cylinder widening 17 towards the top of the blocking piece 5 to a diameter equal to the diameter 13 of the openings 3 in the puzzle board 1.

The puzzle board 1 may be provided with a lid that may be attached to the puzzle board 1 by means of two connectors 18, whereby the lid may close by means of a click system in a recess 19 in the puzzle board 1.

For the set 7 of six puzzle pieces 8a-f in the form of connected spheres 9 as shown in Figure 6, it was found that in a puzzle board 1 divided into five rows and five columns encompassing twenty-five positions 2a-y, at least three dead positions 6 are needed so that for each blocking arrangement a solution can be found by the player.

The hexagonal puzzle board 20 shown in Figure 7A contains nineteen hexagonal shaped positions 21, equipped with circular openings 22, three blocking grooves 23 and no dead positions.

The set 24 of ingested adjacent positions 25a-e shown in Figure 7B are corresponding to a set of five puzzle pieces in the form of connected spheres belonging to the hexagonal puzzle board 20.

A puzzle piece belonging to this set may consist of two spheres and thus occupy or cover two adjacent positions 25a, consist of three spheres and thus occupy or cover three adjacent positions 25b-c or consist of four spheres and thus occupy or cover four adjacent positions 25d-e. The spheres in a puzzle piece belonging to the set of puzzle pieces corresponding to the set 24 occupying adjacent positions 25a-e may be mono- axially 25a or hexaxially 25b-e connected.

For the set of five puzzle pieces in the form of connected spheres corresponding to the set 24 of occupied positions 25a-e shown in Figure 7B, it is shown that in a puzzle board 20 divided into nineteen hexagonal positions 21 no dead positions are needed so that for each blocking arrangement a solution can be found by the player. The figurative puzzle board 26 shown in Figure 8A contains twenty-seven square positions 27, provided with circular openings 28, five blocking grooves 29 and no dead positions.

The set 30 of ingested adjacent positions 31a-g shown in Figure 8B are corresponding to a set of seven puzzle pieces in the form of connected spheres belonging to the figurative puzzle board 26.

A puzzle piece belonging to this set may consist of three spheres and thus occupy or cover three adjacent positions 31a-b, consist of four spheres and thus occupy or cover four adjacent positions 31c-f or consist of five spheres and thus occupy or cover five adjacent positions 31g. The spheres in a puzzle piece belonging to the set of puzzle pieces corresponding to the set 30 occupied adjacent positions 31a-g may be mono- axially 31a or biaxially-orthogonally 31b-g connected.

For the set of seven puzzle pieces in the form of connected spheres corresponding to the set 30 of occupied positions 31a-g shown in Figure 8B, it was shown that in a puzzle board 26 divided into twenty-seven positions 27 no dead positions are needed so that for each blocking arrangement a solution can be found by the player.

It is assumed that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and that some modifications or changes can be added to the figures described without revaluing the added claims.