Buga-shadara

Buga-shadara is a two-player abstract strategy game from Tuva, a republic in Siberia, Russia. It is a hunt game where one player plays the boars (which is "buga" in the Tuva language). There are two boars usually represented as the black pieces. The boars are also referred to as Kings, or Black in this article. The other player has 24 white pieces with no apparent identity associated to them, and are therefore simply referred to as White in this article. The board is an expanded Alquerque board, and therefore, Buga-shadara is specifically a tiger hunt game (or tiger game). What makes Buga-shadara unique among tiger games is the expansion boards on the two opposite sides of the Alquerque board. They are square, whereas most are triangle-like.

A variant of the game allows for White to move one of its pieces immediately after it drops a piece in the beginning portion of the game. However, the rule gives a tremendous advantage for White.

Buga-shadara is similar to Rimau-rimau especially Version B where the 8 men are placed initially around the 8 points of the central square leaving the middle point vacant. Other than having slightly different board designs, there is also only a total of 22 men in Version B of Rimau-rimau as oppose to 24 men in Buga-shadara. The opening play is also different. There seems to be no additional opening procedures for Buga-shadara, whereas, in Rimau-rimau, the tigers are allowed to initially remove one man from the board, and reallocate one of its tigers onto any vacant point. Furthermore, there is the optional version in Rimau-rimau to capture an odd number of enemy pieces.

Buga-shadara is also known as Bouge Shodre.

Goal

White wins if it can surround and immobilize the two boars.

The boars win if they capture enough white pieces so that White can no longer immobilize them. If White is reduced to about 10 pieces, the Boars win.

Equipment

The board is an Alquerque board flanked on two opposite sides by two square patterned boards.

There are 2 Boars represented as 2 black pieces, and 24 white pieces for the other player.

Game Play and Rules

1. The two boars are initially placed on the vertex connecting the two square expansion boards onto the Alquerque board. Eight white pieces are placed on the eight points on the central square surrounding the middle point which is left vacant.

2. Players decide what colors to play. It is unknown which player starts first, however, it may seem appropriate for White to start first. Players alternate their turns.

3. White must first drop the remaining 16 white pieces onto any vacant point on the board before he or she can move any of them. This will take 16 turns. The boars, however, can begin to move and capture from the beginning.

4. The boars and the white pieces can move one space per turn onto a vacant point following the pattern on the board. Only one boar or white piece may be moved (or used to capture as in the case of the boars) per turn. Only the boars can capture. The white pieces cannot capture.

5. The boars can capture a white piece by the short leap as in draughts. The boar must be adjacent to the white piece, and leap over it onto a vacant point on the other side. The leap must be in a straight line and follow the pattern on the board. Only one white piece can be captured per turn. Captures are not compulsory.

Analysis

With perfect play, White wins in 40 to 50 moves.

Related Games

*Rimau-rimau
*Rimau
*Kungser

External Links

*http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/buga.htm