Official Rules of Bagh-Chal (बाघ चाल)

1. The Board & Piece Setup

Bagh-Chal is played on a $5 \times 5$ grid consisting of 25 intersecting points. Pieces are placed directly on the intersections and travel along marked orthogonal lines (horizontal & vertical) and diagonal lines.

• 4 Tigers: Start at the four extreme corner intersections of the board.
• 20 Goats: Start off-board in the goat player's reserve.
• First Move: The Goat player always opens the game by placing their first goat.

2. The Two Game Phases

Phase 1: Goat Placement

On each goat turn, the player places one goat onto any unoccupied intersection. Goats cannot move across the board during Phase 1 until all 20 goats are deployed. Meanwhile, tigers move or capture goats on their turns.

Phase 2: Movement & Maneuvering

After all 20 goats have entered the board, the game enters Phase 2. Now, goats can slide one step along connected lines to adjacent empty intersections.

3. Tiger Captures & Jumps

A tiger captures a goat by jumping over it in a straight line along a valid board line, landing on the immediate vacant intersection behind it.

• The jumped goat is removed from the board permanently.
• Tigers cannot jump over other tigers.
• Multiple jumps in a single turn are strictly prohibited.
• Capturing is optional, not mandatory.

4. How to Win (Victory Conditions)