Aadu Puli Aattam

About the game

Aadu Puli Aattam (ஆடு புலி ஆட்டம்) means "the goat and tiger game". One player controls three tigers (புலி, puli) and the other controls fifteen goats (ஆடு, aadu). The tigers hunt the goats, while the goats work together to surround the tigers so that they cannot move.

It is a "hunt game", part of a family of games played across South Asia in which a few strong pieces face many weaker ones. Its cousins are played in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and beyond, and Nepal's Bagh-Chal is a well-known relative. The board is simple enough to draw in chalk on the floor or scratch into the ground, which is why children have played it for generations with nothing more than pebbles and seeds.

What makes it special is that the two sides play completely differently. Tigers need boldness. Goats need patience and teamwork.

What you need

• A board with 23 points. You can draw it on paper, cardboard or the floor.
• 3 tiger pieces: three large pebbles, or three pieces of one colour.
• 15 goat pieces: small shells, tamarind seeds or buttons.
• Two players.

Setting up

The classic board is a tall triangle with a rectangle drawn across its middle. Straight lines run down from the top point of the triangle, and other lines cross them from side to side. Every spot where lines meet is a point. There are 23 points in all. Pieces always sit on points, never in the spaces between lines, and they always travel along the lines.

Board drawings differ a little between families, so if a grandparent knows the game, ask them to draw their version for you.

1. The tigers start near the top of the triangle. In many homes, one tiger sits on the very top point and the other two on points just below it. Other families bring the tigers onto the board one at a time. Agree before you begin.
2. The goats start off the board, next to the goat player.
3. Decide who moves first. Families differ on this too.

How to play

1. Placing goats. On each goat turn, the goat player places one new goat on any empty point. Goats may not move until all 15 are on the board.
2. Moving tigers. On each tiger turn, the tiger player moves one tiger one step along a line to a neighbouring empty point.
3. Capturing. Instead of stepping, a tiger may jump over a goat that is right next to it along a straight line, landing on the empty point directly beyond. The jumped goat is captured and taken off the board. A tiger cannot jump if the point beyond the goat is taken.
4. What cannot be jumped. Tigers never jump over other tigers, and goats never jump at all.
5. Moving goats. Once all 15 goats are on the board, the goat player moves one goat one step along a line to a neighbouring empty point on each turn.
6. Keep alternating between goat turns and tiger turns until one side wins.

How to win

• The goats win if they trap all three tigers so that no tiger can make a move, neither a step nor a jump.
• The tigers win by capturing so many goats that the rest can no longer trap them. Many families set a target, often five or six captured goats. Agree on your number before you start.

Variations

• Must a tiger jump? Some families say a tiger must capture whenever it can. Others leave the choice to the tiger player.
• Multiple jumps: usually a tiger makes only one jump per turn, but some families let it keep jumping in a chain if more goats are lined up with empty points beyond them.
• Tiger start: fixed starting points, or placing the tigers one by one.
• Tiger target: raise or lower the number of goats the tigers must capture to make the game fairer between an older and a younger player.

Why children love it

• Strategy and planning. Players learn to think a few moves ahead and to spot danger before it arrives.
• Two ways to think. Playing as the tigers teaches boldness and looking for chances. Playing as the goats teaches patience and careful defence.
• Teamwork. A single goat is helpless, but goats that stay together are strong. It is a lesson children remember.
• Fair play. Children learn to agree on rules before starting, and to stick to them.
• Play anywhere. All you need is chalk and a handful of pebbles, so it is perfect for holidays with cousins.

Want more traditional games? Try Pallanguzhi, Paramapadam or Dhayam.