Also called Puli Meka or Huli-gatta in neighbouring regions, this is the South Indian tiger-hunt game. Its distinctive board is a large triangle crossed by three lines, giving twenty-three playing points, and is often carved into temple floors.
Variant implemented
Tamil Aadu Puli Attam on the 23-point triangular board: 3 tigers vs 15 goats, drop phase then movement phase, tigers capture by short jump.
Board and pieces
A large triangle crossed by three horizontal lines and internal diagonals, giving 23 points. Often carved into temple floors.
Setup
Three tigers start at the apex and the two ends of the widest row. The goat player holds 15 goats.
Turn
Goats are placed one per turn until all fifteen are down, then move one step along a line. Tigers move one step or jump.
Capture and scoring
Tigers capture by jumping an adjacent goat to the empty point beyond.
Win condition
The tigers win by eating five goats. The goats win by immobilising all three tigers.
Draw condition
A long stretch with no capture ends the game as a draw.
Special rules
Also known as Puli Meka in Telugu and Huli-gatta in Kannada. Three tigers against fifteen goats is the common Tamil configuration.
Computer opponent
Alpha-beta with jump-first ordering, depth-capped during the drop phase.