Feb. 1, 2006

Leopards and Tigers from Thailand

This is a simple form of a "leopard" game that is popular in southern Asia. In this game for two players, called Hat Diviyan Keliya in the language of Thailand, one player has just one playing piece, called the Tiger. The other player has six counters, called Leopards. Can you imagine why the counters have the names of these animals?

Find Thailand on the map. It used to be called Siam.

Materials

• Sheet of unlined paper, about 11 inches (27.5 cm) long
• Piece of cardboard, about 12 inches (30 cm) long
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Pen or marker
• Glue
• 6 counters of one kind, 1 counter of another kind (beans, buttons, checkers, or coins)

Drawing the Game Board

1. The game board is in the shape of an isosceles triangle (it has two equal sides). With a pencil and ruler, draw the triangle as shown in the diagram (below).
2. Draw an altitude that divides the triangle in half.
3. Draw two lines parallel to the base of the triangle, as in the diagram.
4. Go over the lines with a pen or marker. Mark the 10 intersection points on which the game is played.
5. Glue the paper to the cardboard. You may want to decorate the game board and keep it to use again.

Playing the Game

1. Player One has one counter called the Tiger. Player Two has six counters called Leopards.
2. Players move from point to point on the game board. Player One moves first, and places the Tiger at the top point (apex) of the triangle. Player Two places one Leopard on any empty point. The players take turns. The Tiger moves along a line to the next empty point, while Player Two places all the Leopards, one at a time, on empty points. The Leopards may not change their positions until all the Leopards have been placed on the board.
3. Continue taking turns, moving one counter at a time along a line to the next empty point. Only the Tiger may capture Leopards. The Tiger captures by jumping over a Leopard along a line to the next point, if it is empty (just like in checkers). The Tiger then captures that Leopard. The Tiger may be able to capture more than one Leopard in one move if the point along the same line just beyond the Leopard is free. Meanwhile the Leopards try to block the Tiger so that it cannot move.
4. The Leopards win if the Tiger can no longer move. The Tiger wins if it captures so many Leopards that the Tiger can no longer be blocked.

Things to Think About

Would it be wise to place the first Leopard directly under the Tiger?

Where is the safest place to put the first Leopard?

Changing the Rules

Children in Sri Lanka play with one Tiger and seven Leopards. Otherwise the rules are the same.

Find Sri Lanka on the map. It used to be a British colony and was called Ceylon. In 1948 it became an independent country. In 1972 the country adopted its traditional name, Sri Lanka, which means "resplendent island."

Reprinted with permission from More Math Games and Activities from around the World by Claudia Zaslavsky. Published by Chicago Review Press, distributed by Independent Publishers Group (www.ipgbook.com). Copyright © 2003 by Claudia Zaslavsky.

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