How to play Lambs and Tigers

An ancient South Indian hunt game: three tigers try to capture five lambs; fifteen lambs try to trap all three. Also known as Aadu Puli Aatam, Puli Meka.

▶ Play Lambs and Tigers

The rules

Played on a triangular board — Classic (23 points) or Extended (29 points).
Three tigers start near the apex; the 15 lambs are placed one per turn.
Pieces move one step along a line. A tiger captures by jumping over a lamb to an empty point directly beyond.
Tigers win by capturing 5 lambs. Lambs win by surrounding all three tigers so none can move.

Playing Lambs and Tigers on Puzzle Solvers

Choose the Classic or Extended board, vs Computer or vs Friend, and a difficulty.
Lambs are placed one per turn, then move; tigers move or jump to capture.
Replay the game, or continue from any point in it.

Open the Lambs and Tigers game →

A worked example

A lamb sits between a tiger and an empty point on the same line — it can be jumped next turn. Moving another lamb into that empty point protects it.

Strategies

Lambs: build from the bottom. Fill the wide bottom rows in solid lines so there is never an empty point behind a lamb.
Lambs: close the apex. Trapping a tiger at the narrow top costs the fewest lambs.
Tigers: stay mobile. Keep at least one tiger in the open middle rows where it has many jumps.

Common mistakes

Placing lambs in a scatter instead of connected lines.

Where it comes from

Aadu Puli Aatam ('goat tiger game' in Tamil) has been played for centuries; boards are carved into temple floors in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Extended board?

The Classic pyramid with an extra point on each side of three rows — more room for the lambs, and harder to trap the tigers.

Can I play against the computer?

Yes — at Easy, Medium or Hard, or against a friend, with replay of every move.

Keep going

All guides: How to play every puzzle and game.