Baghchal is not the only game where tigers hunt goats. Many places in Asia have a game with the same idea: a few strong hunters against a larger group of weak pieces.
This post introduces the best known ones. We used Wikipedia and game collections for the facts, and we list them at the end.
New to Baghchal itself? Read the complete guide first.
The idea behind hunt games
Games like these are called hunt games. One side has a few hunters, such as tigers. The other side has many pieces, such as goats. The hunters win by capturing enough of them. The many win by trapping the hunters so they cannot move.
Hunt games often use one of two board styles. Tiger hunt games like Baghchal, Bagh Bandi and Rimau use a square board with many lines, called an alquerque board, or a variant of it. Leopard hunt games use a more triangular board. Wikipedia lists Aadu Puli Attam as a leopard hunt game.
The games at a glance
| Game | Where | Hunters | The hunted | Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baghchal | Nepal | 4 tigers | 20 goats | 5 by 5 points |
| Aadu Puli Attam (also Puli Meka, Aadu Huli Aata) | South India | 3 tigers | Up to 15 goats | A triangle-shaped board |
| Bagh Bandi | Lower Bengal, India | 2 tigers | 20 goats | Alquerque board |
| Rimau-rimau | Malay Peninsula | 2 tigers | 22 or 24 men | Expanded alquerque board |
| Rimau | Malay Peninsula | 1 tiger | 24 men | Expanded alquerque board |
| Hat Diviyan Keliya | Sri Lanka | 1 tiger | 7 leopards | Triangle with 10 points |
Baghchal (Nepal)
The game of this blog. Four tigers start on the corners. Twenty goats are placed one at a time. Wikipedia notes that capturing is not obligatory. The goats win by blocking the tigers.
Aadu Puli Attam (South India)
This game is known by different names in different languages: Pulijudam or Puli Meka in Telugu, Aadu Puli Attam in Tamil, and Aadu Huli Aata in Kannada. All of them mean something like the goat and tiger game.
According to Wikipedia, it is played in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Telugu states. One player has three tigers and the other has up to 15 goats. The board is drawn on the parapet inside the main gate of the Chamundeshwari temple on Chamundi Hill in Mysore.
Wikipedia also says that the game is very similar to Baghchal, and that Baghchal is also seen in southern India with a different board but the same rules.
Bagh Bandi (Lower Bengal)
Bagh Bandi uses an alquerque board. It has two tigers and 20 goats. Its special feature is that the goats start in piles on four points of the board. Wikipedia says that the only other hunt game with this feature is Sher-bakar, a closely related game from Punjab.
A tiger can also jump over a pile, but it captures only the top goat.
Rimau-rimau and Rimau (Malay Peninsula)
Both games use an expanded alquerque board with two triangular "mountains" added to the sides. Rimau means tiger in Malay.
Rimau-rimau has two tigers and 22 or 24 men. Rimau has one tiger and 24 men. In these two games, a tiger can capture a whole line of men in one leap. In most hunt games, a hunter can capture only one piece in a leap.
Hat Diviyan Keliya (Sri Lanka)
This game is played on a small triangular board with ten points. One player has a tiger, and the other has seven leopards. The leopard player must trap the tiger so that it cannot move. The tiger player must capture enough leopards to make that impossible.
It belongs to the group of leopard hunt games. Wikipedia describes these as games of Southeast Asian origin on a triangular board, with one hunter against six or seven hunted pieces.
What they have in common
- A few strong hunters against many weak pieces.
- Moves along lines on the board.
- Hunters capture by jumping.
- The many win by blocking the hunters.
The details change: the number of pieces, the board, and special rules like piles or long leaps. But the idea is the same, and so are the lessons. Keep your pieces together, and do not leave a piece alone with an empty point behind it.
Can I try them?
Many of these games can be played with a pen, paper and some coins. You can draw the board from a picture. For Baghchal, we have a free printable in our post on making a Baghchal board.
Play Baghchal on your phone
Baghchal Online lets you practice or play for fun in four ways:
- Play real people online.
- Make a private room and send the code to a friend.
- Play 34 creatures that get harder as you win.
- Use Pass and Play to share one phone with a friend. No internet needed.
The app is on Google Play for Android. An iPhone version is coming soon.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between Baghchal and Aadu Puli Attam?
Baghchal is from Nepal and has 4 tigers, 20 goats and a 5 by 5 board. Aadu Puli Attam is from South India and has 3 tigers, up to 15 goats and a different board.
Are all tiger games the same?
No. They share the same idea, but the number of pieces, the boards and the special rules are different.
What is a hunt game?
A game with a few hunters against many pieces. The hunters try to capture, and the others try to trap the hunters.
What does Rimau mean?
It means tiger in Malay.
What is a leopard hunt game?
A hunt game on a triangular board, with one hunter against six or seven pieces. They come from Southeast Asia.