This site uses the common English 33-point cross: a 7×7 grid with the four corners removed. Pieces sit on intersections and move only along orthogonal lines. One fox faces thirteen geese, and the geese move first. Keep three things in mind before you start: geese never move back north, fox jumps are optional, and the fox does not win until it has taken nine geese. Hold on to those three ideas and the whole board becomes easier to read.
The board is a 33-point cross, with the fox in the centre and geese moving first
The north and south arms are two rows of three. The middle three rows are seven points wide. That makes thirty-three intersections in total. The fox starts in the centre, and thirteen geese fill the north arm. Geese move first, then the fox, and the sides alternate one move at a time. In practice that means the fox begins with freedom, while the geese begin with numbers; the geese win by tightening exits layer by layer instead of charging forward at once.
Geese move forward or sideways, but they never jump or capture
A goose steps to an orthogonally adjacent empty point. It may advance south or slide east and west. It may not retreat north, jump, or capture. The geese do not win by sending thirteen separate chasers after the fox. They win by keeping a wall connected, closing landing squares next to the fox, and shrinking the space one file at a time until no legal move remains.
The fox may step once, or jump and take one goose
The fox steps one point in any orthogonal direction. If a goose sits next to it and the point beyond is empty, the fox may jump over that goose and remove it. This site allows one jump per turn, and a jump is never forced: the fox may step instead. In real play, read the landing square before you read the goose in front of you. Opening a hole in the wall is often stronger than taking the first capture on offer.
How the game is decided
The fox wins by capturing nine geese. The geese win by trapping the fox so it has no legal move. If the side to move has no legal move, the other side wins. A useful way to remember the ending is this: the fox is not “basically winning” after a few captures, because it still needs the ninth; the geese are not winning just because the fox looks cramped, because every last exit must be sealed.
Questions that usually cause confusion
Is this the same game as hnefatafl?
No. Hnefatafl is a king-escape hunt with sandwich captures. Fox and Geese is one fox jumping thirteen geese that cannot retreat, with a completely different win condition.
May a goose move backwards?
No. Geese may move south or sideways, but they may never step north toward the arm they started on. That is why every advance should be checked for holes in the wall first.
Must the fox jump when a jump exists?
No. The fox may jump or step, and this site allows only one jump in a turn. A quiet step is often the right move when it tears the geese wall open.
Why has the fox taken several geese and still not won?
Because the fox wins only on the ninth capture. Eight is still a live game. Until the fox reaches nine or the geese remove every legal move, play continues.
