Hare & Hounds

Opening Position

Alternate Names

French Military Game, The Soldier's Game, Game of Dwarfs, The Devil Among Tailors, Haretavl (Denmark), Hare och Hund (Sweden), Trevolpa (Sweden), Volpalejden (Sweden).

No. of Players

Two

Equipment

Many different boards have been used for the play of this game. The main point of variation is the size of the board. The general design, however, is usually about the same. The game, regardless of board size or complexity, invariably uses three counters representing Hounds (shown above as black counters) and a single counter representing a Hare (shown above in white).

History

It is sometimes said that this game originated in 19th century France, but it is certainly much older than that, with variations being played in medieval times. The standard game described here is the most well-known in literature and it is this version that became popular with French soldiers during and after the French-German war in 1870-71. (The variant is described in Scientific American, Oct. 1963, pp.124-130.)

Objective

One player controls the Hare counter while their opponent controls the three Hound counters. The Hare wins by successfully passing the three hounds and obtaining the position at the far left of the board. The Hounds win by surrounding and immobilizing the Hare counter.

Play

Typically, an even number of games are played with the two players alternating between controlling the Hare and controlling the Hounds. Utilizing the opening position above, the Hare player moves first with turns alternating. On the Hare's turn, that player may move their counter to any adjacent non-occupied node in any direction. On the Hounds' turn, the player may move any single Hound counter straight forward (to the right on the board shown above), diagonally forward, or to either side, but never backwards. Only one Hound counter may be moved per turn. There is no jumping or capturing of counters in this game.

Variations

There are many historical variations of the board used for this game. The original rules of play for most of them are unknown, but have been successfully reconstructed for some of the boards.

A larger Hare & Hounds board with standard opening position.

A larger still Hare & Hounds board. The opening position for this board is unknown.

A 14th Century game board from Riga, Latvia, although the game is probably akin to Hare & Hounds, its rules are completely unknown.

A game board from Fyn, Denmark. Its method of play is also unknown.

The "Game of Dwarfs" or "Catch the Giant" uses a simplified board. It was described and analyzed in great detail by Frederik Schuh in The Master Book of Mathematical Recreations, 1968. Note that only the numbered intersections are legal positions for counters to be played at. A counter cannot be played at the intersection point at the center of points 1, 2, 3 and 4. At the start of the game the three dwarfs commence on points 1, 2, and 3. The giant may place his one counter on points 5, 6, 7, or 8. After placement, the dwarfs move first.

The simplified board used for "The Game of Dwarfs" or "Catch the Giant" described in great detail by Frederik Schuh in The Master Book of Mathematical Recreations, 1968.

In some reconstructions of this game, the Hare player starts with their counter off of the board and places it at any vacant position as the first move of the game.

Sources