How to play Bagh Chal
Nepal's tigers-and-goats game: four tigers try to capture five goats; twenty goats try to trap every tiger. Also known as Tigers and Goats.
The rules
- A 5×5 grid of 25 points joined by lines. The four tigers start on the corners; the 20 goats start off the board.
- Goats are placed one per turn; they cannot move until all 20 are on the board.
- Pieces move one step along a line. Tigers capture by jumping over a goat to an empty point directly beyond.
- Tigers win by capturing 5 goats. Goats win by blocking every tiger so none can move.
- Once all goats are placed, a move may not repeat an earlier board position.
Playing Bagh Chal on Puzzle Solvers
- Choose vs Computer or vs Friend, your side and a difficulty, then press Start Game.
- Goats: click an empty point to place a goat; after all 20 are placed, click a goat and then where to move it.
- Tigers: click a tiger and then a point to move to, or the point beyond a goat to capture it.
- Replay the whole game afterwards.
A worked example
A tiger sits on a corner with a goat next to it along the edge. If the point beyond the goat is empty, the tiger can jump and capture. Filling that point first makes both goats safe.
Strategies
- Goats: edges and corners. Place goats on edges and in the corners first, where tigers cannot jump them.
- Goats: never leave a gap behind. A goat is safe if the point behind it, in line with a tiger, is occupied.
- Tigers: stay apart. Spread the tigers so the goats cannot wall them in together.
- Tigers: double threats. Threaten two captures at once — the goats can defend only one.
Common mistakes
- Goats rushing to the centre early, where tigers can jump from many directions.
Where it comes from
Bagh Chal ('tiger move' in Nepali) is the national board game of Nepal, carved into temple courtyards across the Himalayas.
Frequently asked questions
Who usually wins Bagh Chal?
With perfect play the game is a draw; in practice, careful goats win more often against beginners.
How is it different from Lambs and Tigers?
Lambs and Tigers uses a triangular board with three tigers and fifteen lambs; Bagh Chal uses a square grid with four tigers and twenty goats.
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