Baghchal News from Nepal and Beyond

Basque Association of Oware and Strategic Games Bilbao, Basque Country hosts the first Bagh Chal Championship in the region, drawing players from across Europe. The event, held at the Bilbao Game Center, featured intense matches and strategic play, showcasing the game's appeal beyond Nepal. Organizers hope this will spark interest in Bagh Chal and lead to more international tournaments in the future.

From May 13th to 18th, the Basque Association of Oware and Strategic Games organized the 1st Basque Country Bagh Chal Championship. On the 13th, they played one game in Sondika; on the 16th, most of the games (6-8 matches, double the number of games played) were played at “Bar Almirante” in San Ignacio (Bilbao); and on Monday the 18th, the final match In each game, they played two rounds. In the first round, one player controlled the tigers, and in the second, the goats. Egoitz won the most matches, not all the games. Daniel, Maximo and Zuriñe also played very well. Here is the final standings with the total number of wins for each player.

Classification
1-Egoitz Campo 5 victories Basque Country
2-Daniel Barrientos 2 victories Basque Country
3-Máximo Kulachenok 1 victory Basque Country
4-Zuriñe Ayaso 1 victory Basque Country
5-Lander Campo 0 victories Basque Country
6-Leire Muguruza 0 victories Basque Country
7-Arrate Elorrieta 0 victories Basque Country

The championship was a great success, and we hope Basque Association of Oware and Strategic Games organizes more Bagh Chal events in the future to promote this fascinating game in the Basque Country and beyond. We are grateful to all the players who participated and to the organizers (specially Egoitz Campo) who made this event possible.

Grassroots Effort Keeps Baghchal Alive in Bhaktapur, Nepal

A citywide Baghchal tournament held in Bhaktapur has drawn attention to the ongoing grassroots efforts to preserve Nepal’s native board games. Organised on Asar 25 by the Youth and Sports Sub-committee of Shwet Bhairav Savings and Credit Cooperative, the competition featured 23 players, with Krishna Bhakta Koju emerging champion. Local officials and speakers praised the event not only as recreation but as a tool for community health and cultural continuity. They also voiced concern that younger generations are losing interest in traditional games. The tournament, supported technically by the Bhaktapur Buddhi Chal Association, concluded with certificate and prize distribution.

Bagh Chal's quiet presence in the Durbar Squares mirrors its uncertain future: visible as a souvenir, rare as a lived tradition. The reporting highlights a generational gap - elders preserve the game in paatis while youth drift to phones and chess. Yet experts and players insist its simplicity hides real strategic depth. With schools, competitions, and digital versions emerging, the piece suggests a revival is possible - if Nepal chooses to value its own cultural games.