This game is played by two people on a board with 33 holes, as shown
in the drawing. The board may be made either square or octagonal. The
octagon is made from a square by placing one point of the compass at
a corner and the other point at the center of the board. With each
corner in turn as a center, draw arcs intersecting the edges of the
board. Connect these points of intersection across the corners of the
board; saw off the four triangles. Smooth the edges and chamfer. Lay
out and bore the holes. Make 26 pegs to fit loose. Leave 24 white for
the geese and color 2 red for the foxes.
In playing the game, all the pegs are put in their places. The foxes
at Nos. 9 and 11; the geese at 7, 8, 12, 13, and consecutively up to
33. The foxes and geese can move on the lines only, in any direction
from one hole to the next. A fox can also jump over a goose and take
it, provided the hole just beyond it is vacant. In fact, the fox
can jump and take several geese in various directions if conditions
permit. The geese can not jump, but they can move so as to hem in the
foxes and make it impossible for them to move. This means that the
foxes have lost the game. In starting the game, the player having
the foxes gets the first move. His aim is to jump and capture all
the geese and win the game. Each player takes turn in moving. When
crowding a goose in on a fox, the player always has another goose
behind it so that the fox can not jump it. This game is one of the
kind that requires foresight and study. It is highly interesting and
entertaining, and by experience, players may become quite expert at
the game.
_Solitaire_--This same board may also be used for the solitaire game.
However, that requires 32 pegs. They are put in all the holes except
No. 17. The object is to jump and take all the pegs but one, and it
must land in hole 17. Unaided, this is difficult to do, and it would
take a long time for a person to discover a solution. For this reason,
the reader is presented with the following "Key": 5 jumps to 17 and
takes 10, 12 to 10 and takes 11, etc.; 3 to 11, 1-3, 18-6, 3-11,
30-18, 27-25, 13-27, 24-26, 27-25, 22-24, 31-23, 33-31, 16-28, 31-23,
4-16, 7-9, 21-7, 10-8, 7-9, 24-22, 22-8, 8-10, 10-12, 12-26, 26-24,
17-15, 29-17, 18-16, 15-17.
[Illustration: FOX-AND-GEESE GAME]