How to play Tigers and Goats (Bagh-Chal): 4 tigers, 20 goats

Tigers and Goats is an old board game from Nepal, played across South Asia under names like Bagh-Chal and Bagh Bandi. It looks like 16 Beads, with pieces on the points of a grid that capture by jumping, but it plays very differently: the two sides are not the same. 4 tigers hunt, and 20 goats defend by blocking. On ComCom Games it is a friendly, and you pick your side when you start it from Friendlies.

How is the board set up?

• The board is a 5 by 5 grid of 25 points joined by lines. Every other point also has diagonal lines through it.
• The 4 tigers start on the four corners. The 20 goats start off the board.
• Pieces only ever move along the lines, from one point to the next.

How do the goats play?

• Goats move first.
• While any goats are left to place, a goat turn puts one goat on any empty point. Goats on the board cannot move yet.
• Once all 20 are on the board, a goat turn moves one goat a step along a line to the next empty point.
• Goats never capture. They win by blocking.

How do the tigers play?

• A tiger turn moves one tiger a step along a line to the next empty point.
• Or, if a goat is next to a tiger along a line and the point just beyond it is empty, the tiger can jump over it and take it.
• One jump per turn. A tiger cannot jump two goats in a row, and cannot jump another tiger.
• Tigers can move and jump from the very first turn, while the goats are still being placed.

How do you win?

• The tigers win by taking 5 goats.
• The goats win when it is the tigers' turn and no tiger can move or jump.
• If the same position comes up a third time, the game is a draw.
• Each player has 5 minutes in total. If yours runs out, you lose.

Tips for the goats

• Fill the edges and corners first. A goat on the edge is hard to jump, because there is no point beyond it.
• Never leave a goat next to a tiger with an empty point behind it.
• Keep your goats touching, so each one covers the point behind another.
• Losing a goat or two is fine. Building a wall that slowly closes the tigers in is what wins.

Tips for the tigers

• Strike early, while the goats are still being placed and gaps are everywhere.
• Stay near the centre, where the diagonal lines give you the most moves.
• Look for a fork: a move that threatens two goats at once, so they can only save one.
• Keep your tigers apart. Two tigers side by side block each other and are easier to trap.

Does it pay ComCom Coins?

Yes. A win as either side earns ComCom Coins, up to a daily limit, like every friendly, and counts on the Friendlies tab of the Leaderboard.