Bagha Chal is an unusual board game that is widely played in Nepal. The two players (tigers and goats) have different numbers of pieces and different aims to win the game. There are four tigers and twenty goats. The rules are simple but the strategy is surprisingly complicated and well balanced. Bagha means tiger and chal means to move.

Pictures of Moving Tigers Games (Bagha Chal)

Prices and ordering of Moving Tigers Game

The Bagha Chal Board

The board is a square with lines upon it. Pieces can move along lines from one intersection to an adjacent intersection. The game starts with the tigers placed on each of the outer corners of the board.

Aims of the Moving Tigers Game

Tigers are aiming to eat the goats by jumping over them in a similar way that pieces are taken in draughts (chequers). as in draughts the taking is in a straight line and there must be an empty space for the tiger to land on. Only one goat may be taken at a time. The tigers win once they have eaten five goats.

Goats are trying to avoid being eaten and they win by crowding the tigers in so that they are unable to move.

Playing Bagha Chal

In the first part of the game the four tigers are positioned at the corners of the board. Players then have alternate turns with the goat player starting. At his/her turn the goat player puts a goat on any vacant position on an intersection of the lines on the board. On his/her turn the tiger player can move a tiger one place along a line or eat a goat by jumping over it onto a vacant position. Tigers cannot jump more than one goat at a time. Once placed, no goat can be moved until all twenty goats have been placed on a board. In this part of the game the goat player can only defend a goat by placing another goat on the board to prevent a tiger from having a landing place.

In the second part of the game after all the goats have been placed on the board each player moves a piece in turn. The tigers continue to try to eat goats and the goats attempt to block the tigers so that they are unable to move at all.

To avoid a stalemate position in a game where a player could move a piece back and forth indefinitely, there is a rule that prohibits repeated moves. In other words, if a goat is moved from position 1 to position 2 and then on their next turn from position 2 to position 1, on the next move it cannot be moved back to position 2.

Pictures of Moving Tigers Games (Bagha Chal)

Other Games Played on the Bagha Chal Board

The following information is taken from this web page
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/asiantiger.htm
with the kind permission of Mats Winter.

These are variations of the moving tigers game that can be played using the same board.

Main Tapal Empat

Main tapal empat derives from Malay Peninsula, south of Thailand. The play begins with two black Tigers on the centre square and 18 white stones ('goats') beside the board that must be dropped in the first 18 moves. Tigers can capture stones by the short leap, but only one at a time. Capture is not mandatory. Tigers can move any distance along the lines. White can only move one square per move, after all stones have been dropped. White wins by surrounding the Tigers so that they are stalemated. Black wins by reducing the number of white stones so they can't stalemate the black Tigers. In the typical case White would give up if he is reduced to ten stones. White makes the first move.

Bagh Bandi

Bagh bandi derives from India, Lower Bengal. The play begins with two black Tigers on c3 and a3, and 20 white stones placed in piles on b2, b4, c2, c4. Tigers can capture stones by the short leap, but only one at a time. Capture is not mandatory. Both White and Black can only move one square at a time. White wins by surrounding the Tigers so that they are stalemated. Black wins by reducing the number of white stones so they can't stalemate the black Tigers. White makes the first move.

Sher-Bakar

Sher-bakar derives from Punjab, India. The play begins with two black Tigers on a3 and e3, and 19 white stones placed on b2, b4, c2, c4, in piles of five on three of thse points and four on the remaining point. Tigers can capture stones by a short leap, but only one at a time. Capture is not mandatory. Both White and Black can only move one square at a time. White wins by surrounding the Tigers so that they are stalemated. Black wins by reducing the number of white stones so they can't stalemate the black Tigers. White makes the first move.

Mat's page
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/asiantiger.htm
also has other variations which use a slightly different form of playing board.

Prices and ordering of Moving Tigers Game

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Page last updated March 3, 2009
Copyright: Martin Dowling 2002-2009

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