Aadu Huli ( Tigers and Goat ) – A Math Game from India

Aadu Huli, also known as Tigers and Goat, is a traditional math game from India. This game is not only fun and engaging but also helps to develop critical thinking and strategic skills. Let’s dive deeper into the rules of Aadu Huli, its history, and the benefits of playing it.

WHAT IS AADU HULI ?

Aadu Huli is a strategy board game played by two players. One player controls 3 tigers and the other controls 15 goats. The tigers “hunt” the goats while the goats try to block the tiger’s movement. The game teaches a very powerful lesson that there is “Strength in Unity,” showing that even though weak, if united, one can conquer the stronger enemy as a team.

HOW TO PLAY THE MATH BOARD GAME AADU HULI

In ancient times, people drew the game board on the ground with chalk and used stones and twigs as counters. Nowadays, you can either draw the game board on cardboard or download and laminate it for repeated use.

Game Board : Draw the game board on a piece of paper or cardboard to represent Tigers and Goat game.

Counters : 3 counters representing Tiger and 15 counters representing goats. We used small lego pieces for the counters

Number of Players : 2

RULES OF THE GAME

• Opening Position
  • Game starts by placing the 3 tigers on the corner points and no goats on the board.
• Objective of the Game
  • The goal of the player controlling the tigers is to capture 6 goats while the player controlling the goats aims to encircle the tigers, preventing their movement.
• Moves
  • Goats start first and players take turn to play.
  • Placing and Moving counters : Counters must be placed on intersection points and move strictly along the lines.

• The game has two phases : In the first phase all the goats need to be placed on the board. Once all the goats have been placed on the board, second phase starts where the goats are allowed to move.
• When it is the goat’s turn, only one goat per turn can be placed on a vacant point on the board such that it is safe from tiger’s attack. Once all goats are on the board, only one goat can be moved per turn to an adjacent vacant point along a line. Goats can’t hop over other goats or tigers. They can move only after placing all goats.
• When it is the tiger’s turn, the player can move 1 tiger along any adjacent vacant point.
  • If a tiger encounters a vacant point behind an adjacent goat, then it jumps over the goat to the vacant point and removes the goat from the board.

• • A tiger cannot jump over a goat if there is no vacant point behind that goat.

• • A tiger cannot hop over another tiger and can hop only once during its turn and doesn’t have multiple jumps during a turn.
• Winner
  • The player playing tigers win if they eat/hop a minimum of 6 goats first.
  • The player playing goats win if the goats immobilize all the three tigers.

Benefits of Playing Aadu Huli

Playing Aadu Huli offers several benefits, including:

• Developing critical thinking skills: Players must think strategically to outmaneuver their opponent and achieve their goals.
• Enhancing problem-solving skills: Players must analyze the board and make decisions based on the current situation.
• Boosting social skills: Aadu Huli is a two-player game, which means that players must communicate and interact with each other to play the game.
• Improving focus and concentration: The game requires players to stay focused and pay attention to their opponent’s moves.

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Aadu Huli is an exciting and engaging math game that has been played in India for generations. We hope that you enjoyed learning about this unique game and will try playing it with your friends and family.

If you enjoyed learning about Aadu Huli, why not try another math game from a different part of the world? The Kenyan math game Shisima, is a popular strategy thinking game that involves mathematical skills and is played with stones on a board. Give it a try and see if you can master it too!

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