How to Play Fox and Geese - Step by Step

What is Fox & Geese?

Fox & Geese is a strategic chase game with roots in a Viking board game called Halatafl, making it a classic that’s been entertaining families for centuries. One player controls a single “fox” trying to capture the “geese,” while the other controls a flock of geese trying to trap the fox so it can’t move.

It’s easy to learn, plays quickly, and works just as well for casual fun as it does for building serious thinking skills.

Objective

• Fox: Capture enough geese so they can’t trap you.
• Geese: Trap the fox so it has no legal moves.

Number of Players

2 players.
One controls the fox; the other controls the geese.

Age Range

Ages 7+
(Younger kids can play with simplified movement rules.)

Game Length

10–20 minutes per round.

What You Need

• A Fox & Geese board (33 connected points in a cross shape with diagonals — see printable below).
• 18 tokens: 17 in one color (geese) and 1 in a different color (fox).
• Pencil and paper if you want to keep score over multiple rounds.

Skills Built

• Strategic thinking: Plan several moves ahead to trap or escape.
• Observation: Spot capture or trap opportunities before your opponent does.
• Spatial reasoning: Navigate a network of lines and diagonals.
• STEAM skills: Encourages systems thinking, logical sequencing, and pattern recognition — all useful in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.

Why We Like It for Kids & Families

Fox & Geese teaches patience, foresight, and adaptability. It’s a brain workout disguised as play, and because it’s a two-player game, it’s great for quiet one-on-one time with a child. We especially like that players switch roles between rounds — learning to think like the fox (offense) and like the geese (defense) builds flexible problem-solving skills. The constant back-and-forth also makes it a tense, exciting challenge — especially when the last few geese are still trying to box in a slippery fox.

Setup

1. Place the board so the cross shape is oriented upright.
2. Put the fox in the center point of the board.
3. Place the geese:
   • Fill all points on one arm of the cross.
   • Fill the adjacent full row of points next to that arm.
   • Fill the two endpoints of the center row.
4. The rest of the points stay empty.

How to Play Fox & Geese in 7 Steps

1. Grab a friend and a Fox & Geese board (or print our free board) along with 17 goose pieces and 1 fox piece. Sit across from each other so you can both see the board.
2. Decide who plays fox and who plays geese.
3. Fox moves first. Fox may move to any connected empty point in any direction (forward, backward, sideways, or diagonal).
4. Geese move next. Geese may move forward, sideways, or diagonally — but not backward. (Some variants allow backward movement; see Variations.)
5. Capturing (fox only): If a goose is next to the fox and the point directly beyond it along the same line is empty, the fox can jump over the goose to that point and remove it from the board.
6. Multiple captures: If the fox can jump again immediately after capturing, it may continue jumping in the same turn.
7. Winning the game:
   • Geese win by trapping the fox so it can’t move.
   • Fox wins by capturing enough geese so they can no longer trap it.

Rules Summary

• Fox moves first, in any direction along the lines to an empty point.
• Geese move next, one space at a time, forward, sideways, or diagonally — no backward moves (unless you’re playing a variant).
• Fox captures by jumping over an adjacent goose into an empty point directly beyond it; remove the captured goose. Multiple jumps are allowed in one turn.
• Geese cannot capture — they only move to block the fox.
• Win conditions:
  • Geese win by trapping the fox so it can’t move.
  • Fox wins by capturing enough geese so they can no longer trap it.

Example Turn

• The fox is in the center.
• A goose sits directly above it, and the space above that goose is empty.
• The fox jumps over the goose, removes it from the board, and lands on the empty point.

Variations

• Original version: Play with 13 geese instead of 17 for a fox advantage.
• Backward-moving geese: Allow geese to move backward for more flexibility.
• Diagonal-only movement: Restrict all moves to diagonals.
• Mandatory jumps: If the fox can capture, it must. If it doesn’t, the captured goose returns to the board.
• Geese move first: Small shift in balance — usually helps the geese.

Printable Fox & Geese Board

You can download a free Fox & Geese printable board (PDF) — includes the correct point layout, diagonals, and space for all 33 positions. Just print, add tokens, and play.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Where did Fox & Geese come from?
A: The game evolved from Halatafl, a Norse board game played by Vikings over 1,000 years ago. It spread across Europe in the Middle Ages and remains popular in various forms today.

Q: How long does a game of Fox & Geese take?
A: Usually 10–20 minutes, depending on the skill of the players.

Q: Can kids play Fox & Geese?
A: Yes! Ages 7+ can handle the basic rules, and younger kids can play with simplified movement (like allowing geese to move any direction).

Q: Which side is easier to win with?
A: With standard rules, the geese have the advantage — but with fewer geese, the fox becomes stronger.

Fox and Geese Video Tutorial