Start with the unequal roles
Aadu Puli Aattam is a South Indian hunt game, also known as Goats and Tigers. IIT Bombay’s D’source describes its Tamil name, regional relatives and a board of 23 intersections. Pieces stand at those points and follow the drawn lines.
Vanikar begins with three tigers already on the board. Goats enter one at a time; once all fifteen have been placed, the surviving goats can move. The tigers win by taking five goats under this ruleset. The goats win by leaving every tiger without a legal move or jump.
Sources: D’source, IIT Bombay: Adu Puli Attam
As the goats, inspect the landing point
A tiger needs an adjacent goat and an empty point beyond it on a valid straight line to capture. Before placing a goat, look through it from each nearby tiger. If the point beyond is open, the placement may offer an immediate capture.
Goats cannot run away while the placing phase continues. Build a connected formation that denies landing points and gradually reduces the tigers’ choices. A goat that looks close to a tiger can be safe from that particular jump if its landing point is occupied; still inspect all other lines.
Block movement without opening a jump
The goats must eventually remove every legal move from all three tigers. Blocking one tiger is progress, but it does not end the game while another can move. Watch what a blocking placement does elsewhere on the board.
During the movement phase, vacating one point can open a landing behind a neighbouring goat. Recheck the whole local pattern after imagining the move. The piece you move may become safer while exposing the piece next to it.
As the tigers, keep routes open
Tigers need room to change direction and reach loose goats. If they crowd one another, their own pieces can block exits and landing points. Spread their influence so that the goats must defend several possible lines.
An immediate capture is attractive, but consider where it leaves the tiger. A jump into a nearly sealed corner may trade future mobility for one goat. Compare the capture with a move that preserves access to the centre and threatens more than one placement.
Count lines, not visual closeness
Two points that look near each other are not connected unless the board draws a line between them. A jump must continue on a valid straight line through the goat to a legal empty landing. Corners and intersections are where assumptions most often fail.
Use an untimed practice game from each side. As the goats, count available tiger exits after each placement. As the tigers, identify your next escape before taking a goat. You will learn the same geometry from two very different objectives.
Think through one decision
A tiger is next to a goat, but the point directly beyond that goat is occupied. Can the tiger capture along that line?
Show the explanation
No. The jump needs an empty landing point beyond the goat on a valid straight line. Still inspect the other lines through the position before deciding the goat is safe.
Rules for the game you are playing
The gameplay advice follows Vanikar’s versions. Traditional layouts, household rules and tournament procedures can differ.