Hare games

Hare games are two-player abstract strategy board games that were popular in medieval northern Europe until the 19th century. A single hare tries to get past three dogs, which try to surround it and trap it. The dogs are three pieces that normally start at one end of the board, while the hare starts in the middle or is dropped on any vacant point. Hare games resemble bear games and hunt games, where one side has more pieces and tries to hem in the smaller side. They differ in that the hounds can only move forward or sideways, never backwards, and the dogs cannot capture the hare. Boards varied by country, including narrow spearhead-shaped boards and a round board used in Denmark. Alternative names include hare and hounds, the French military game, game of dwarfs and the devil among tailors.