TIGERS AND COWS
Ancient Himalayan strat game
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
An ancient Himalayan strategy game, faithfully reborn. Outwit the AI on three difficulties, or face a friend in Pass & Play. One board, two ways to win.
Claws or numbers? An ancient Himalayan strategy game, reborn on your phone.
Tigers and Cows is a faithful mobile adaptation of Bagh-Chal, the centuries-old Nepali board game that pits raw power against sheer numbers. Four tigers, each able to leap and devour. Twenty cows, each able only to creep forward — but together, strong enough to wall in a predator. One board. Two completely different ways to win.
A GAME WITH REAL HISTORY
Long before app stores existed, this game was already old. Bagh-Chal — literally "the tiger's move" — has been played for generations across the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, scratched into dirt, drawn on cloth, or carved into wood and stone. Close cousins exist all over the region: Do-Dam in Tibet, Puli Aatam in Tamil-speaking South India and Sri Lanka, and — more distantly — Fox and Geese in Europe. Tigers and Cows brings that entire tradition to your pocket, rules intact.
PICK YOUR SIDE
Play as the Tigers: four corners, total mobility, and the ability to leap clean over a cow to capture it. Win by devouring five.
Play as the Cows: twenty strong, slow but relentless. Win by trapping every tiger until none has a legal move left — no step, no leap.
Every match plays completely differently depending on which side you choose.
THREE AI DIFFICULTIES, OR PASS THE PHONE
Sharpen your skills against the AI on EASY, NORMAL, or HARD — each a genuinely different opponent, not just a slower version of the same one. Or skip the AI entirely and pass the device back and forth with a friend or family member in local Pass & Play.
SIMPLE RULES, DEEP STRATEGY
A 5×5 board of 25 points, connected by straight and diagonal lines.
Cows place one at a time, then creep forward one step along a line.
Tigers slide one step, or leap over an adjacent cow to devour it — like a checkers jump.
Tigers win at 5 captures. Cows win by immobilizing every tiger.
Legal moves highlight automatically, and a built-in HOW TO PLAY guide is always one tap away, so newcomers are never lost — while the strategy underneath stays genuinely deep, move after move.
A BOARD WORTH LOOKING AT
Gold-and-vermilion tiles, hand-painted dragon borders, and hand-illustrated tiger and cow tokens give this board real ceremonial weight — a look that matches the history behind the game, not just another flat grid.
PLAY YOUR WAY
Choose from three background music tracks (or none at all), and pick up a match anywhere — a two-minute placement duel on the train, or a slow, thoughtful hour-long standoff on the couch.
Tigers and Cows is free to play, supported by ads. Out of moves you regret? Watch a short video for one extra undo.
Whether you're drawn in by the history, the artwork, or the promise of a genuinely asymmetric duel unlike chess or checkers, Tigers and Cows rewards a minute of learning with a lifetime of strategy. Choose your side. The hunt is on.
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The developer, YUKI RINRIN, Y.K., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
Accessibility
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Information
- Seller
- YUKI RINRIN, Y.K.
- Size
- 54.4 MB
- Category
- Board
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.4 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.4 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Contains
Advertising
- Copyright
- © 2026 YUKI RINRIN, Y.K.