Setup and opening position
Three hounds start at the left end of the eleven-point lined board and the hare starts at the right tip. The hounds move first, and every move follows a printed connection to an empty point.
Hare and Hounds
The hounds win by leaving the hare no legal move, while the hare wins by passing every hound and escaping to their far side of the graph.
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How to play
The hounds win by leaving the hare no legal move, while the hare wins by passing every hound and escaping to their far side of the graph.
- Three hounds start at the left end of the eleven-point lined board and the hare starts at the right tip. The hounds move first, and every move follows a printed connection to an empty point.
- A hound may move one connected step forward or sideways but never backward. The hare may move one connected step in any direction; pieces do not jump or capture.
- The hounds win by leaving the hare no legal move, while the hare wins by passing every hound and escaping to their far side of the graph.
Strategy tips
- Advance the hounds as a connected wall instead of racing one piece ahead, and as the hare preserve two escape lanes so a single hound move cannot seal both.
- A hound moved too far forward can never retreat, opening a permanent gap that the hare can cross even if the other two hounds remain close together.
- Before each hound step, verify the hare's complete neighbor set; before each hare step, compare its new column with every hound and choose the route that passes the wall.
Complete guide
Rules, scoring, and strategy
Hare and Hounds is a complete browser implementation with its own versioned rules profile. Coordinate three forward-moving hounds to trap one agile hare on the classic eleven-point French Military Game graph.
Legal moves and game flow
A hound may move one connected step forward or sideways but never backward. The hare may move one connected step in any direction; pieces do not jump or capture.
Winning and terminal positions
The hounds win by leaving the hare no legal move, while the hare wins by passing every hound and escaping to their far side of the graph. Before each hound step, verify the hare's complete neighbor set; before each hare step, compare its new column with every hound and choose the route that passes the wall.
Practical strategy
Advance the hounds as a connected wall instead of racing one piece ahead, and as the hare preserve two escape lanes so a single hound move cannot seal both. A hound moved too far forward can never retreat, opening a permanent gap that the hare can cross even if the other two hounds remain close together.
Questions players ask
What is the objective in Hare and Hounds?
The hounds win by leaving the hare no legal move, while the hare wins by passing every hound and escaping to their far side of the graph.
Which moves are legal in Hare and Hounds?
A hound may move one connected step forward or sideways but never backward. The hare may move one connected step in any direction; pieces do not jump or capture.
What should I plan first in Hare and Hounds?
Advance the hounds as a connected wall instead of racing one piece ahead, and as the hare preserve two escape lanes so a single hound move cannot seal both.
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