India is a land of rich history, culture and heritage which has put emphasis on both physical and mental nourishment from ancient times. Board games were part of every Indian home and children were encouraged to play board games to improve their strategic and analytical thinking skills.
Here’s the list of 5 Indian Strategy Board Games You Should Play:
Chess
No of Players: 2
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on a checkered game board with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. Here are the basic rules:
- Setup: Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. One player’s pieces are white, and the other’s are black. The board is placed so that a white square is in each player’s bottom-right corner.
- Movement:
- King: Can move one square in any direction.
- Queen: Can move any number of squares along a rank, file, or diagonal.
- Rook: Can move any number of squares along a rank or file.
- Bishop: Can move any number of squares diagonally.
- Knight: Moves to any square not on the same rank, file, or diagonal. Its movement is thus in the shape of an ‘L’ – two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular to that.
- Pawn: Moves forward one square, but captures diagonally. Pawns also have a special move called ‘en passant’ and can be promoted if they reach the opposite side of the board.
- Objective: The goal of the game is to checkmate your opponent’s king. This means the king is in a position to be captured (‘in check’) and there is no way to move the king out of capture (‘mate’).
- Special Moves:
- Castling: Under certain conditions, the king and a rook can move simultaneously in a move called castling.
- Pawn Promotion: If a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece (except king).
- En Passant: This is a move in which a pawn can capture another pawn that has just moved two squares forward from its starting position, and has landed beside it.
- Winning: The game is won by the player who has checkmated their opponent’s king. The game is a draw if the player to move is not in check but has no legal move, a situation known as stalemate.
Remember, the best way to improve is to play lots of games, study the basic endgames, and learn some opening theory. Happy playing!
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9 Men Morris
No of Players: 2
- Strategy Board game
- Involves fun, logic and strategy in every move
- Also known as Navkankari, Muhle and Daadi
Nine Men’s Morris” is a strategy board game for two players. Here are the basic rules:
- Setup: The game board consists of a grid of 24 points. Each player has 9 pieces, often colored black and white.
- Objective: The goal is to form ‘mills’ – lines of three pieces – and by doing so, capture your opponent’s pieces. The player who is reduced to two pieces, or is left with no legal moves, loses the game.
- Gameplay: The game is played in three phases:
- Placing the pieces: Players take turns placing their pieces on empty points on the board. If a player is able to place three of their pieces in a row (along a line), they have formed a mill and can remove one of their opponent’s pieces from the board. The removed piece must not be part of a mill unless all the opponent’s pieces are in mills.
- Moving the pieces: Once all pieces have been placed, players take turns moving. A piece can hop from its point to any connected empty point. If a player forms a mill, they can remove one of their opponent’s pieces, following the same rules as before.
- Flying: When a player is reduced to three pieces, their pieces may ‘fly’, ‘hop’ or ‘jump’ to any empty points, not just connected ones. If a player forms a mill while flying, they can remove one of their opponent’s pieces, following the same rules as before.
- Winning the Game: The game is won by the player who leaves their opponent with either two pieces or no legal moves.
Remember to think strategically and plan your moves in advance. Enjoy the game!
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Tigers and Goats Strategy Board Game
No of Players: 2
- Strategy Board game
- Involves fun, logic and strategy in every move
- Also known as Puli Meka, Bagh Chaal, Aadu Puli Aattam
Tigers and Goats” is a strategic, two-player board game that originates from Nepal. Here are the rules to play the game:
- Setup: The game board is a pattern of rectangle and triangle with intersecting lines. There are 3 tigers and 15 goats. The tigers are either placed on the 3 corners corners of the board, and the goats start off the board or players take turns to place each of their 3 coins at random places on the board. The goats are then placed at random places and the tigers start to move on the board along the lines.
- Objective: The tigers’ objective is to capture the goats while the goats’ objective is to block the tigers’ movements.
- Gameplay: Players take turns, starting with the goats. In the initial phase, the goat player places one goat on any vacant point on the board. Then, it’s the tiger player’s turn. Tigers can move to any vacant point along the lines.
- Capturing: A tiger can capture a goat by jumping over it to a vacant position (similar to in checkers). The jumped piece is then removed from the board.
- Blocking: Once all 15 goats have been placed on the board, they can now move along the lines to an adjacent vacant point. The goats aim to block the tigers so that they can’t move or capture.
- Winning: The game ends when either the tigers have captured enough goats that they can’t block the tigers’ movements (tigers win), or the goats have blocked the tigers so they can’t move (goats win).
Remember to have fun and enjoy the strategic aspects of the game!
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Pasichi
No of Players: 4 (max), 2 (min)
Pasichi (Ludo) is a strategy board game for two to four players. Here’s a simple guide on how to play:
- Setup: Each player selects a set of pawns of the same color and places them in their respective starting areas. The game board has a path that extends around the perimeter of the board and leads to a “home” path leading to the center of the board. The game is played with a single die.
- Gameplay: Players take turns in a clockwise order; each turn consists of throwing the die. A player can start their journey only when they roll a six.
- Movement: The goal of the game is to move all four pawns from the starting area to the home area. Pawns move counterclockwise around the board.
- Capturing Pawns: If a player lands on a square occupied by an opponent’s pawn, that pawn is captured and returns to its starting area. A square can only hold a single pawn.
- Entering Home: A pawn can only enter the home area by an exact roll. The first player to get all four pawns to the home area wins the game.
- Rules for a Six: When a player rolls a six, they can either introduce a new pawn to the starting square or move a pawn already in play. Also, whenever a player rolls a six, they get an additional or bonus roll.
Remember, the key to winning at Pasichi/Ludo is strategy and a bit of luck.
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Deers and Leopards Strategy Board Game
No of Players: 2
- This is a game of supremacy and strength
- It takes you on a virtual hunt while you sit in the comfort of your living room.
- Strategy and logic are the aces of this game as you need to place your pawns accordingly to be victorious.
- The thrill keeps you on your toes!
- This game goes beyond fun and thrill and gives you a new perspective and a new skill set to use in your life
“Deer and Leopards” is a strategic, two-player board game that is similar to the game “Tigers and Goats”. Here’s how to play:
- Setup: The game board is a pattern of intersecting lines, usually a 5×5 grid. There are 3 leopards and 15 deer. The leopards are placed on the board, and the deer start off the board.
- Objective: The leopards’ objective is to capture the deer while the deer’s objective is to block the leopards’ movements.
- Gameplay: Players take turns, starting with the deer. In the initial phase, the deer player places one deer on any vacant point on the board. Then, it’s the leopard player’s turn. Leopards can move to any vacant point along the lines.
- Capturing: A leopard can capture a deer by jumping over it to a vacant position (similar to in checkers). The jumped piece is then removed from the board.
- Blocking: Once all 15 deer have been placed on the board, they can now move along the lines to an adjacent vacant point. The deer aim to block the leopards so that they can’t move or capture.
- Winning: The game ends when either the leopards have captured enough deer that they can’t block the leopards’ movements (leopards win), or the deer have blocked the leopards so they can’t move (deer win).
Remember, the key to winning is strategic placement and movement of your pieces. Enjoy the game!
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In today’s world where everyone including kids right from very young age are hooked to screens, Indian Strategy Board Games prove to be a great alternative. They also help in memory training, strengthening family relations, etc.. Check out the Benefits of Playing Board Games.
Check out 50 Compelling Reasons to Play Checkers/Draughts
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