How to play Bagh Chal
Bagh Chal (बाघचाल, "tiger moves") is played in Nepal on a board of 5 × 5 points joined by straight and diagonal lines. One player has 4 tigers, the other has 20 goats. The tigers try to capture goats; the goats try to trap the tigers so they cannot move.
- Start: the four tigers stand on the four corners. The board is otherwise empty and the goat player moves first.
- Placing goats: on each goat turn, the goat player puts one new goat on any empty point. Goats cannot move until all 20 are on the board.
- Moving: tigers (at any time) and goats (after all 20 are placed) move one step along a line to an empty point. Not every point has diagonal lines, so diagonal moves are only possible where the board shows a diagonal.
- Capturing: a tiger captures by jumping over a single goat, in a straight line, to the empty point just beyond it. The goat is removed. Only one goat can be captured per turn, and goats can never capture.
- Winning: the tigers win after capturing 5 goats. The goats win when no tiger can move. If the same position comes back three times, the game is a draw.
Tips for the goats
- Fill the edges and corners first. A goat with its back to the edge cannot be jumped from that side.
- Keep goats in solid groups. A lone goat in the middle is the tigers' favourite target.
- Before every placement, check each tiger: is there a goat next to it with an empty point behind? If so, block that point.
- Squeeze slowly. Once all 20 goats are down, move them as a wall and leave the tigers fewer empty points each turn.
Tips for the tigers
- Stay in the centre and on points with diagonal lines; they give you up to eight directions.
- Keep your tigers apart so the goats cannot block them all at once.
- Create double threats: one move that threatens two different jumps. The goats can only block one.
- Capturing early, during the placing phase, is the tigers' best chance — the goats have not built their wall yet.
A game from Nepal
Bagh Chal has been played for centuries in Nepal, often with stone or brass pieces on boards drawn on the ground or carved in wood. It belongs to the family of "hunt games", where a few strong pieces face many weaker ones. It is a game of patience for the goats and sharp tactics for the tigers, and computer studies have shown that with perfect play neither side can force a win — so every game is decided by mistakes.