How to play Bagh Chaal (Bagh Chal, tigers and goats)

बाघ चाल

Bagh Chaal (बाघ चाल, “the tiger’s move”) is Nepal’s oldest hunting game: four tigers try to capture goats, and twenty goats try to hem the tigers in until none of them can move.

Play it free on Khelau in 3D: against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, with a friend on one device, or learn it in four short lessons. It is in Beta, so tell us what to improve.

Play Bagh Chaal free

No download, no sign-up. Works on phones, tablets and computers.

Quick facts

Players: 2 (tigers and goats), or you against the computer
Board: 5 × 5 lines, 25 points, with diagonals
Pieces: 4 tigers and 20 goats
Tigers win: By capturing 5 goats
Goats win: When no tiger can move
Ways to play: Against the computer, or two players on one device

Setting up

The four tigers start on the four corners of the board. All twenty goats start off the board.
Pieces stand on the points where lines cross and move along the lines, one point at a time.
Goats move first.

Placing the goats

On each of their turns the goats put one new goat on any empty point.
The tigers answer by moving one tiger to a neighbouring empty point, or by capturing.
Goats can’t move until all twenty have been placed.

Moving and capturing

Once all twenty goats are down, the goats move one goat to a neighbouring empty point each turn.
A tiger captures by jumping over a goat next to it, in a straight line, to the empty point just beyond. The goat leaves the board.
A tiger may capture only one goat per turn. Goats never capture.

Winning on Khelau

The tigers win as soon as they have captured 5 goats.
The goats win when they have blocked every tiger so none of them can move or capture.
If the side to move has no move while a tiger still can, or the same position comes up a third time, the game is a draw.

Tip for goats: fill the edges and corners first and keep goats in pairs, so a tiger never has an empty point to land on.

बाघ चाल कसरी खेल्ने

चारवटा बाघ बोर्डका चार कुनामा हुन्छन्, बीसवटा बाख्रा एक-एक गरेर राखिन्छन्। बाख्राले पहिले चाल चल्छ।

बाघले छेउको बाख्रामाथि उफ्रेर पारिको खाली ठाउँमा पुगेर बाख्रा खान्छ। पाँचवटा बाख्रा खाए बाघ जित्छ; सबै बाघ थुनिए बाख्रा जित्छन्।

Questions

How do you win Bagh Chal as the goats?

Trap all four tigers so that none of them can move or capture. Keep goats next to each other and fill the edges first.

How many goats must the tigers capture?

Five. The tigers win as soon as the fifth goat is captured.

Who moves first in Bagh Chal?

The goats. They place one goat per turn until all twenty are on the board, then they start moving.

Can I play Bagh Chal against the computer?

Yes. Choose tigers or goats and play the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, or play a friend on the same device.

Is Bagh Chal free on Khelau?

Yes. It is free in your browser, with no download and no account.

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