# Hare and Hounds challenge

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [February 6, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352 "2011-02-06T02:24:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352/21 "2011-02-06T15:52:57Z")

</div>

Me (and **septimus** , by proxy) can take over from here, if you’d like:

```auto

  O-O-O
 /|\|/|\
O-D-D-D-R
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-O

```

And again, by symmetry, both of the Hare’s options are identical strategically, so I’ll take the liberty of picking one:

```auto

  O-O-R
 /|\|/|\
O-D-D-D-O
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-O

```

Which is followed by:

```auto

  O-O-R
 /|\|/|\
O-D-D-O-O
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-D

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352/22 "2011-02-06T16:38:49Z")

</div>

If I do rabbit to left, it leads to the same position as in post 9, which loses. Diagonally to the right also loses quickly. So I guess I’ll move down.

```auto

  O-O-O
 /|\|/|\
O-D-D-R-O
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-D

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snifit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Snifit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snifit)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352/23 "2011-02-06T18:37:43Z")

</div>

Left hound up.

```auto

  
  D-O-O
 /|\|/|\
O-O-D-R-O
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-D

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352/24 "2011-02-06T19:19:22Z")

</div>

That is the same position as post 8. R up leads to post 9 which loses. R right loses easily after the center dog moves diagonally to give

```auto

  
  D-O-D
 /|\|/|\
O-O-O-O-R
 \|/|\|/
  O-O-D

```

So I agree that **Snifit** ’s variant to **DCnDC** ’s ideal play leads to a win for the hounds.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hare-and-hounds-challenge/570352/25 "2011-02-07T00:11:28Z")

</div>

Fair enough. I stand corrected.

It was fun taking all of the fun out of this game with y’all. Anyone got another game?

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