Rules

Len Choa

Len Choa is a traditional two-player strategy game from Thailand that belongs to a family of “predator versus prey” games. It is played on a triangular board, where one player controls a single tiger and the other controls six leopards, each with very different roles. The leopards must work together to trap the tiger and block its movement, while the tiger tries to escape and capture them by jumping over their pieces. Although the setup is simple and requires only a few components, the game offers a rich strategic experience that encourages careful thinking, coordination, and planning. With roots dating back to the 19th century, Len Choa remains a great example of how traditional games can be both culturally meaningful and engaging to play.

Rules

Set-up

Len Choa is played on a triangle with 9 points. Lines indicate permitted moves.
One player is the tiger; they place a single bead of their chosen colour at the top of the triangle.
One player is the leopard; they select 6 beads of their chosen colour. All leopard beads start off the board.
The leopard plays first.

How to Play

The tiger bead can move one space per turn to a vacant point, following the lines indicated on the board.
The tiger bead can also capture a leopard bead when the leopard bead is adjacent to the tiger bead and there is a vacant point directly beyond it in a straight line.
Captures cannot be chained and are not mandatory.
The player with the leopard beads must place all of them on the board before any can be moved. Only one bead can be placed per turn.
Once all leopard beads have been placed, a leopard bead can move one space per turn to a vacant point, following the lines indicated.
Leopard beads cannot capture the tiger bead.

How to Win: The leopards win if they surround the tiger so that it cannot move.
The tiger wins by capturing 3 leopards, leaving too few to surround it.

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