Play Hounds and Jackals Online Free | Egyptian Board Game vs AI

Hounds and Jackals on Arcadia

Hounds and Jackals, also called the game of 58 holes, appeared in Egypt around 2000 BC and stayed a favorite for a thousand years. The most famous set, five ivory hound pegs against five jackal pegs on a palm-tree board, was found in a Theban tomb and lives in the Met Museum today.

Arcadia's version is the classic reconstruction: two private 29-hole tracks, casting sticks, linked shortcut holes, and lucky *nefer* holes. You run the hounds; the AI runs the jackals.

How to Play

Throw four casting sticks: light sides up count 1-4, all dark counts 5.
Enter a peg on the hole matching your throw, or advance a peg already on your track.
Land exactly on a linked hole to slide forward along the carved path.
Throws of 1, 4 and 5, and starred nefer holes, grant another throw.
Pegs leave the board on an exact throw. First to run all five pegs home wins.

Core Rules

Each player has a private track: there is no capturing, only racing.
Two of your own pegs can never share a hole.
Hole 6 links forward to hole 20; hole 8 links to hole 10. Links fire only on an exact landing.
Nefer holes 15 and 25 grant an extra throw when landed on exactly.
A peg needs an exact throw to leave the board; oversized throws must be spent elsewhere.
If no legal move exists for a throw, the turn passes.

Strategy: Links, Spacing & the Endgame

The 6-to-20 link is worth fourteen free holes: steer a peg to land on 6 exactly whenever the throw allows.
Spread your pegs. Clustered pegs block each other's exact landings and waste throws.
Chain your extra throws: a 1, 4 or 5 into a nefer hole can produce three or four moves in one turn.
In the endgame, park pegs at different distances from the exit (1 through 5 away) so every possible throw bears one off.
Enter all five pegs early; a peg in the kennel scores nothing and wastes big throws late.

Practical Tips

Dashed holes are link starts; the ⤳ marker shows where the path leads.
Starred holes are nefer holes: land exactly to throw again.
The gold exit cell counts your pegs that have finished.
Watch the Jackal's den count: if he develops slowly, push your own entries hard and win the tempo race.

Hounds and Jackals rules, history & strategy guide

FAQ

Why is it called the game of 58 holes?

Each player's track has 29 holes, 58 in total across the board. The nickname distinguishes it from Senet, Egypt's other great race game.

Can I capture the Jackal's pegs?

No. Each side races on a private track, so there is no contact. The tension comes from shortcuts, extra throws, and exact exits.

How do the shortcut links work?

Land exactly on a link hole and your peg slides forward along the carved path: hole 6 leads to hole 20, hole 8 to hole 10. Passing over a link hole does nothing.

Where does the game come from?

Egypt, around 2000 BC. The finest surviving set, complete with ivory hound and jackal pegs, was excavated at Thebes and is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.