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Play Bagh Chal Online: Tigers and Goats, Free in Your Browser

Nepal's national board game against the computer or a friend on one screen. No download, no account, no purchase.

Thankot.com Editorial Desk Last checked 31 August 2026 4 min read

Four tigers start on the corners. Twenty goats arrive one per turn. Tigers capture by jumping a goat to the empty point beyond and win at five captures; goats win by leaving no tiger with a legal move. Pick a side below and the board will highlight your legal moves while you learn.

New to the game? The Bagh Chal rules page covers the board geometry, both phases and the strategy that decides most games. It takes about six minutes and it is the difference between losing and winning your first match.

๐Ÿ… Bagh Chal ยท Nepali Tigers vs Goats Board Game

Play As

๐Ÿ

Placed Goats

0/20

๐Ÿ’€

Captured Goats

0/5

๐Ÿ

Turn

goat

๐Ÿ Place goat (20 left)
๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ…

Stats

Wins as Goats0
Wins as Tigers0
Games Played0

How to Play

1

Goats go first. In phase 1, place goats on empty intersections (20 total).

2

Tigers start at corners and can move along lines to adjacent points.

3

Tigers capture goats by jumping over them to an empty point beyond.

4

Goats win by trapping all 4 tigers. Tigers win by capturing 5 goats.

5

Diagonal moves are only allowed at intersections where diagonals exist.

About Bagh Chal

Bagh Chal (meaning "Tiger's Move") is an ancient strategic board game from Nepal. It is an asymmetric game where 4 tigers battle 20 goats on a 5x5 grid.

Tigers win by capturing 5 goats (jumping over them). Goats win by trapping all 4 tigers so they cannot move. The game is Nepal's national board game.

Bagh Chal rules in brief

Bagh Chal (เคฌเคพเค˜เคšเคพเคฒ), the tiger's move, is played on a grid of five points by five points joined by 56 lines, including the alternating alquerque diagonals. Pieces sit on the intersections and travel one step along a line.

  • Setup. Four tigers on the four corners. Twenty goats off the board. Goats move first.
  • Placement phase. The goat player must place one goat on an empty point each turn and may not move goats already on the board. Tigers move and capture freely from turn one.
  • Movement phase. Once all twenty goats are placed, goats slide one step per turn along a line. Goats never jump and never capture.
  • Capturing. A tiger jumps an adjacent goat in a straight line to the empty point directly beyond. One goat per jump, no chains, no jumping other tigers, and capturing is optional.
  • Tigers win on five captures in total across the game.
  • Goats win when no tiger has any legal move left.

Two habits win most beginner games. As goats, check both directions along every line before placing: a tiger on one side with an empty point on the other means that goat is lost. As tigers, get off the three-connection corners early and hunt for forks that threaten two captures at once, because a single placement cannot defend both.

Read the full Bagh Chal rules and strategy guide for the board's connection map, deliberate goat sacrifices, the transition between phases, and the list of beginner mistakes for each side.

Playing Bagh Chal online: common questions

How the browser version works, and the rules questions that come up in a first game.

Is this Bagh Chal game free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no download, no account and no purchase of any kind. Play as the tigers, as the goats, or two players sharing one screen.
Can I play Bagh Chal against the computer?
Yes. Choose tigers or goats and the computer takes the other side. There is also a two-player mode for playing a friend on the same device.
How do tigers capture goats in Bagh Chal?
A tiger jumps over an adjacent goat in a straight line, orthogonal or diagonal, and lands on the empty point directly beyond. The goat is removed permanently. Only one goat may be taken per jump, tigers cannot jump other tigers, and taking is optional.
How many goats do the tigers need to win?
Five, counted across the whole game rather than consecutively. The goat player can therefore afford to lose four goats and no more before the game is over.
How do the goats win?
By reaching a position where the tiger player has no legal move at all. Every one of the four tigers must be unable to step to an adjacent empty point and unable to jump. One tiger with a single free step keeps the game going.
Can I play Bagh Chal with a keyboard?
Yes. Every point on the board is reachable with the Tab key and activated with Enter or Space, and each point carries a label naming its row, column and what stands on it, so the board works with a screen reader.

Keep reading

Rules, the other traditional game, and the place these games belong to.

Understand the board and you will start winning

The rules page maps every point's connections, which is the single idea that turns Bagh Chal from confusing into obvious.