An ancient Egyptian peg-racing game on a shield-shaped board where shortcuts and penalty holes reshape the chase.
Two arcing tracks rise from the base of a shield-shaped board to a shared goal. You play the Hounds against the computer or a friend playing the Jackals. Cast the sticks to get a number, then advance one of your pegs that many holes — first to bring all five pegs home wins.
The Game of Hounds and Jackals is an ancient Egyptian race game from the Middle Kingdom, some four thousand years ago. Players pegged little playing pieces — carved as the heads of hounds and jackals — into rows of holes drilled in the board, racing them along a track. Boards have been found across Egypt and the wider ancient Near East.
Hounds and Jackals — sometimes called the Game of 58 Holes — is one of the oldest known board games, played in ancient Egypt over 3,000 years ago. This is an original, free browser recreation with an adjustable AI opponent and pass-and-play.