How to Play Bagh-Chal
Bagh-Chal ("tiger game") is Nepal's national board game: four tigers hunt a herd of twenty goats on the same lined board as Alquerque. The sides are completely different, which is the charm: tigers must eat before the net closes.
The board and pieces
- A 5×5 grid of points joined by rows, columns and the diagonals of alternate squares (every point where row + column is even has diagonals).
- Four tigers start on the four corners. The goat player holds twenty goats off the board.
Play
- Goats move first. While goats remain in hand, the goat turn places one on any empty point.
- Once all twenty are down, a goat turn moves one goat along a line to an adjacent empty point.
- A tiger turn moves one tiger to an adjacent empty point, or jumps an adjacent goat along a line to the empty point directly beyond, capturing it. One jump per turn, never compulsory.
Winning
- Tigers win by capturing five goats.
- Goats win when no tiger can move.
- If the goats run out of moves, the tigers win. A position repeated three times, or sixty moving-phase turns without a capture, is a draw.
Playing on kawu
Tap a piece then its destination; placements are a single tap. Hint shows the hard computer's move. Play either side against three computer levels, or two players on one device.
Next: Bagh-Chal strategy for both sides.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tiger jump two goats in a row?
No. A tiger jumps a single adjacent goat to the empty point directly beyond, once per turn. It may not chain jumps, and it is never forced to jump.
Can goats jump or capture?
No. Goats only step to an adjacent empty point along a line. They win by taking away every move the tigers have.
Who moves first in Bagh-Chal?
The goat player, by placing the first goat. Tigers then move, and the sides alternate.
Last updated 2026-10-21