Fox and Geese
Thirteen geese try to trap one hungry fox.
How to play Fox and Geese
Fox and Geese is an old hunt game from northern Europe, played for hundreds of years. The board is a cross of 33 points joined by lines, with diagonal lines too. One player has a single fox. The other has 13 geese, which start on the lower part of the cross. The fox starts in the centre. The geese move first.
Goal
- The geese win if they trap the fox so that it has no move.
- The fox wins by eating geese until only 6 are left, because then they are too few to catch it.
Turn by turn
- Geese step. A goose moves one step along a line to an empty point: forward or sideways, never backward. Geese cannot jump.
- The fox steps. The fox moves one step along any line, in any direction.
- The fox jumps. If a goose stands next to the fox and the point right behind it on the same line is empty, the fox may jump over it and eat it. Jumping is never forced.
- Jump again. After a jump, if the fox can jump another goose, it must keep going in the same turn. The board shows each next landing point in red.
End of the game
The geese win when the fox cannot move. The fox wins when only 6 geese are left, or when the geese have no move at all. The geese must keep making progress: if the same position comes up for the third time, the fox wins.
Against the computer, choose "Play as" to be the geese or the fox. The counter next to the fox shows how many geese it has eaten out of the 7 it needs. For another uneven hunt, try Hnefatafl.
Strategy tips
- Geese: move as a wall. Keep your geese in solid rows. A goose with another goose right behind it cannot be jumped from the front.
- Geese: never leave a gap. Before each move, look at every line through the fox. An empty point behind a goose is an open door.
- Geese: push the fox to the top. The arms of the cross are narrow. A fox pushed into the top arm has few points left and is easy to trap.
- Fox: stay in the middle. The centre has the most lines. From there you can attack many geese and are hard to box in.
- Fox: look for double attacks. Move to a point where you threaten two jumps at once. The geese can only close one of them.
Fox and Geese FAQ
Can the geese move backward?
No. Geese step forward or sideways along the lines. This is what makes them careful: a goose that steps too far cannot come back.
Does the fox have to jump when it can?
No, starting a jump is optional. But once the fox has jumped, it must keep jumping as long as it can in that turn.
Which side is easier?
With good play the geese can win, but one mistake lets the fox eat its way through. Beginners often find the fox easier.
How strong is the computer?
Easy often plays random moves. Medium looks a few moves ahead. Hard searches deeply for about a second on both sides.
