# Bear games > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bear_games > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bear_games.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_games > Source revision: 1348263923 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Category of abstract strategy board games}} thumb|Starting positions for a simple Roman bear game '''Bear games''' is a category of board games of which many have historical roots in the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire). They were played in parts of the Empire as far away as [Turkey](/source/Turkey) and [France](/source/France) and are still played today, especially in [Italy](/source/Italy). All of the games are two-player [abstract strategy](/source/abstract_strategy) [board games](/source/board_games). Normally, the game is played with three hunters and one bear on a patterned board. It bears similarity to the hunt games such as the [fox games](/source/fox_games), [rimau-rimau](/source/rimau-rimau), and [bagha-chall](/source/bagha-chall), however, there are no captures involved. The three hunters are trying to hem in the bear, and block its movements. The closest relative of the Bear games are the [Hare games](/source/Hare_games). In this case, the hounds are the "hunters", and there are three of them which is the same number of hunters in the Bear games. The difference is that the hounds cannot move backwards in any way, whereas, the hunters can move in any direction. As a result, the boards used are also different. Another close relative is the game called [watermelon chess](/source/watermelon_chess). In one of the bear game variants, the board is the same as that of watermelon chess. Furthermore, the game [sz'kwa](/source/sz'kwa) also uses the same board, although it is not actually related to the bear games since the rules and game play are completely different. == Goal == The hunters attempt to hem in the bear and block its movements. The goal of the bear is to avoid this fate. As an optional rule, if the hunters cannot stalemate the bear in a given number of moves, e.g. 40 moves, the bear wins. == Equipment == Bear game 01.svg|Square board, three tangent circles{{cite web |url=https://www.thosehistorypeople.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Roman-Bear-Game.pdf |title=Roman Bear Game |publisher=Those History People |date=April 2020 |access-date=15 August 2022}} Watermelon Chess (blank).svg|Circular; also used in [watermelon chess](/source/watermelon_chess){{cite web |url=https://mats-winther.github.io/bg/beargames.htm |title=Bear games: hunt games from Roman antiquity? |website=github.io |access-date=15 August 2022}} Bear game 03.svg|Rectangle 1 Bear game 04.svg|Rectangle 2 Bear game 05.svg|Roman wheel Bear game 06.svg|Temple of Apollo ([Didyma](/source/Didyma), Turkey) Bear game 07.svg|''Jeux des gendarmes et du voleur'' ([Sologne](/source/Sologne), France) Bear game 08.svg|''Chase the Hare'' (Greece) There are a variety of patterned boards anywhere from round to rectangular boards. The first link below shows seven. There are normally three hunters, and one bear, however, these quantities especially for the hunters can change drastically depending upon the variant. == Rules == * Initial positions of the pieces vary depending upon the variant. Usually the bear is placed in the middle of the board, and the hunters are placed together on one end of the board. One player plays the hunters (normally three pieces), and the other player plays the bear. * Both hunters and bears move one space at a time following the pattern on the board. Only one piece may be moved by each player. Players alternate their turns. There are no captures in this game. * As an optional rule – the bear wins if the hunters cannot stalemate the bear in a given number of moves, e.g. 40 moves. == Analysis == With perfect play, the hunters win.{{CN|date=May 2025}} This is a great example of a game where the humans have an edge over the computer. In some variants, the [Zillions of Games](/source/Zillions_of_Games) program takes longer to win a game for the hunters as compared to human players.{{CN|date=May 2025}} == Related Games == *[Hare games](/source/Hare_games) *[Watermelon chess](/source/Watermelon_chess) *[Sz'kwa](/source/Sz'kwa) *[Fox games](/source/Fox_games) *[Rimau-rimau](/source/Rimau-rimau) *[Bagha-chall](/source/Bagha-chall) *[Main tapal empat](/source/Main_tapal_empat) *[Adugo](/source/Adugo) ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * https://gamesbears.com/bear-games/ Category:Abstract strategy games Category:Traditional board games --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bear games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_games) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_games?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.