JUNGLE RULES

Jungle is a 2-player abstract conflict played on a 7x9 board. Here is the initial arrangement:

           a   b   c   d   e   f   g
        /+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
       / |v7 |   | T |vvv| T |   |v6 | 9         vvv: Red's Den
      /  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+           ^^^: Blue's Den
  RED<   |   |v4 |   | T |   |v2 |   | 8         T:   Trap
      \  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+           ~:   Water
       \ |v1 |   |v5 |   |v3 |   |v8 | 7         1-8: Playing pieces
        \+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                initial locations
         |   | ~ | ~ |   | ~ | ~ |   | 6
         +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
         |   | ~ | ~ |   | ~ | ~ |   | 5
         +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
         |   | ~ | ~ |   | ~ | ~ |   | 4
        /+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
       / | 8^|   | 3^|   | 5^|   | 1^| 3
      /  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 BLUE<   |   | 2^|   | T |   | 4^|   | 2
      \  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
       \ | 6^|   | T |^^^| T |   | 7^| 1
        \+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
            a   b   c   d   e   f   g

Blue moves first. Players alternate moves.

A move consists of moving one piece. Each piece moves, and captures by replacement, one square at a time, horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally.

Each piece has a rank number and a corresponding animal name: 1-rat, 2-cat, 3-dog, 4-wolf, 5-cougar, 6-tiger, 7-lion, 8-elephant.

The object of the game is to occupy your opponent's den square, or capture all of your opponent's men. Red's den is d9; Blue's den is d1.

You may not capture your own pieces. You may capture only enemy pieces of equal or lesser rank than your capturing piece, with 2 exceptions:

1. Piece #1, the rat, captures (and may not be captured by) #8, the elephant.
2. The 3 squares adjacent to your den (c9, d8, e9 for Red; c1, d2, e1 for Blue) are your trap squares. you may capture any enemy piece in one of YOUR traps regardless of rank. #8 may capture #1 in this instance. Your opponent's traps have NO effect on the way YOU capture.

You may not occupy your den. Once a den is entered, the game is over.

No piece may move into or through the water squares (b4, b5, b6, c4, c5, c6, e4, e5, e6, f4, f5, f6), with these exceptions:

1. The rat may move through water the same as on land; however, it may not capture the elephant from the water.
2. #6, the tiger, and #7, the lion, may "leap" across water IF: A. The move begins adjacent to water horizontally or vertically. B. Neither rat is on a water square in the path of the jump. C. The landing square is not occupied by a stronger or same color piece. To jump, move the lion or tiger across the water horizontally or vertically to the next dry land square. Any enemy piece of equal or lesser rank on this square is captured.

YOU MAY NOT make a move which produces a position that has already occurred twice before in the game, IF the piece you are moving is capable of capturing the piece your opponent just moved (outside of your own traps.) By "position" is meant the arrangement of all the pieces on the board and whose turn it is. For example, if Red has an elephant on f2 and Blue has a dog on e1, Red may not chase the dog back & forth indefinitely between e1 and f1. Also, if Blue has a tiger on e3 and Red's rat is on the water square e5, if each time the tiger moves to f3 or e3 the rat blocks the jump by moving to f5 or e5, the tiger must cease shuttling back and forth before the same position occurs for a third time.

Note: the last rule was my own addition. Other people familiar with Jungle may know a very different set of rules. I hope you find this version interesting!