How to Play Tig
Tig is a chasing game played outdoors by a group of children, in which one player designated as 'It' pursues the rest and attempts to touch them. The moment contact is made, the roles reverse and the game continues without pause. It needs no equipment, no score sheet and no preparation beyond agreeing a boundary.
Its appeal is straightforward: it is fast, fair, instantly understood and scales easily from a handful of children to a large group. It is played most commonly in school playgrounds, parks and gardens, and works on any open ground where players can run freely.
A little history
Tig belongs to a family of chasing and tagging games found across the world under dozens of names including Tag, It, Tiggy and He. Its origins are unclear, and no reliable written record pins down when or where the game first appeared in its current form. The name 'Tig' is traditionally associated with northern England and Scotland, where it remains the dominant term. Chasing games of this general type are documented in British children's game collections from the nineteenth century, and similar games appear in records from many other cultures, but a single point of origin has not been established.
Setting up
- Agree the boundaries of the play area before starting. Mark them clearly with visible landmarks, lines or cones if available.
- Decide how the first 'It' will be chosen. Common methods are volunteering, a count-out rhyme, or the last person to touch the ground.
- Confirm any special rules the group wants to use, such as safe zones or immunity after being tigged, before play begins.
- Make sure all players understand the boundaries and that leaving the area counts as an automatic forfeit or means that player becomes It, whichever the group prefers.
How to play
- The player who is It stands in the centre of the play area. All other players spread out within the boundaries.
- On a agreed signal, It begins to chase the other players.
- It tries to touch any other player on any part of the body. This touch is called a tig.
- The moment a tig is made, the player who was touched immediately becomes the new It.
- The previous It becomes a free player and may now run with the others.
- There is no pause between tigs: play is continuous.
- A player may not tig back the person who just tigged them. This is known as 'no tigbacks' and is a standard rule in most versions of the game.
- Any player who steps outside the agreed boundary becomes It automatically, or is subject to whatever penalty the group agreed at setup.
- The game has no defined end point. Players stop by mutual agreement or when called in.
Winning and scoring
Tig is not a scored game and has no single winner. The social objective is to avoid being It for as long as possible. Some groups informally note who was It the least, but there is no formal points system in the standard version of the game.
The fine points
The most common dispute is whether a tig was actually made. The standard ruling is that if the It player believes they made contact and the other player does not, the group should accept It's call on the first occasion and move on quickly. Persistent arguing should be resolved by a brief group vote. If a tig is genuinely ambiguous, most groups apply a 'benefit of the doubt to It' rule to keep the game moving.
A second frequent issue is 'tigbacks', where the newly tigged player immediately tigs the person who just caught them. This is almost universally considered unsporting and is banned in standard play. Similarly, if It tags a player who is already in a declared safe zone, the tig does not count and It must chase someone else. Safe zones should be small and agreed in advance; allowing players to stand in a safe zone indefinitely defeats the purpose of the game, so a time limit of five to ten seconds in the safe zone is a sensible addition.
How to win more often
- If you are It, do not chase the fastest player first. Target someone who is stationary, cornered near a boundary or distracted.
- Change direction sharply and unpredictably rather than running in straight lines. It will struggle to adjust to sudden cuts.
- Watch where It is looking, not just where they are running. Players often telegraph their next target with their eyes.
- Use the other free players as cover. Running through a cluster of players forces It to make a choice and briefly slows their pursuit.
- Conserve energy early. Sprint hard only when It is genuinely close. Players who run flat out from the start tire quickly and become easy targets later.
Variations
Freeze Tig
When a player is tigged they must freeze on the spot and cannot move until another free player touches them to unfreeze them. It wins a round if they manage to freeze every single free player simultaneously. This version works especially well with larger groups and adds a cooperative element for the free players.
Chain Tig
Each player who is tigged joins hands with It and the two must chase together. Every subsequent tig adds another player to the chain, which must stay connected at all times. Only the players at each end of the chain may make a valid tig. The game ends when all players are part of the chain.
Tunnel Tig
When tigged, a player must stand still with their legs apart to form a tunnel. They are freed when another player crawls through their legs. It must try to tig players faster than free players can rescue those who are frozen. This version is best suited to younger or less mobile players as it reduces the intensity of sustained running.
Shadow Tig
Instead of physically touching another player, It must step on that player's shadow to make a tig. This version requires bright sunshine and works best in open areas with no overhead cover. It changes the chasing angle significantly because players can protect themselves by moving into shade or angling their bodies to reduce their shadow footprint.
Tig: frequently asked questions
Can you tig someone back immediately after they tig you?
No. Tigbacks are banned in standard play. The player who was just It must wait until the new It has moved away before they can be tagged again. This rule prevents the game from stalling between two players.
What happens if two players are tigged at exactly the same moment?
This is rare but does occur. The simplest ruling is that both players become It simultaneously for the next round, making it a two-It game until one of them tigs someone else and steps out of the role.
Is there a minimum number of players needed for Tig?
Tig works with as few as three players, though four is a more practical minimum. With only two players the game reduces to a simple chase with nowhere to escape, which loses most of the fun.
What is the difference between Tig and Tag?
They are the same game. 'Tig' is the name used predominantly in northern England and Scotland, while 'Tag' is more common in southern England and North America. The rules are identical in their standard form.
How do you choose who is It at the start?
Any fair method works. Popular choices include a count-out rhyme, the youngest player going first, the last person to raise their hand volunteering, or a simple agreement. The important thing is that all players accept the method before the game starts.
Are safe zones required or optional?
Safe zones are optional and not part of the basic rules. If the group agrees to use them, they should be small, clearly defined and subject to a time limit of no more than ten seconds to prevent players camping in them.
What age is Tig suitable for?
Tig is suitable from around age five upwards, when children can reliably run, understand turn-taking and observe boundaries. Mixed-age groups can play together, though it is worth agreeing a rule that very young or less able players cannot be targeted exclusively.
What do you do if a player refuses to accept they have been tigged?
If the It player is confident contact was made, they should state it clearly and the group should take a quick majority vote. Persistent refusal to accept a tig is unsporting. The simplest remedy is to move on and apply the call more strictly in subsequent rounds.