TAFL
An Ancient Viking Siege Game
Tafl (pronounced TAH-bl) dates back to before 400 AD, and
was played throughout Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany, England, Wales and Ireland. It
remained popular until the 17th. century, when it was gradually supplanted by chess. The
word tafl is probably derived from the Latin tabula, which also referred to a board game.
The game was also sometimes called hnefatafl, meaning 'king's table'.
Historical tafl boards could have anywhere from 49 (7X7) to
324 (18X18) cells or squares. The squares were sometimes checkered, while other boards had
only the centre and corner squares distinguished. Some tafl boards placed the pieces on
the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares themselves. Others had holes for
pegged pieces to be placed in.
This board is loosely based on a 10th. cent. one found in
Ballinderry, Ireland (the border patterns point to it's manufacture in the Isle of Man).
The Ballinderry board had peg-holes, and two handles so that it could be held between two
people. It used a 7X7 grid, although most tafl rules refer to either a 9X9 or 11X11 board.
Literary references to the game agree that the game was
played by two people with an unequal number of playing pieces. There were two types of
pieces described - the 'tablemen' or pawns (usually 24), and a single king. The side with
the king had half the number of men as the opposing side. The king was placed in the
centre, surrounded by his men. They in turn were surrounded by the men of the opposing
side. All pieces had the 'rook's' move, and pieces were captured by surrounding them on
two sides.
Little more was known about the game until a 18th. cent.
manuscript by Linnaeus, containing a detailed description of a certain Lapp game, was
found. The game was called tablut, and the description of the rules was consistent with
other references to tafl. The rules and board layout I have provided here are based on
this account, with some minor changes to make the game fairer and easier to play.
The Rules
The following rules have been tried and tested, and seem to
work the best. However, tafl is an ancient game that had many variations, so feel free to
make any changes you feel might make the game fairer or more interesting.
Board Layout
The king is placed in the centre. His men (the 8 dark
pieces) are arranged around him in a cross (or a square if you prefer). The opposing men
(the 16 light pieces) are arranged in four 'T' shapes in the middle of each of the four
edges of the board (see photo).
Moves
All pieces move like the 'rook' in chess - in straight
vertical or horizontal lines. Pieces cannot 'jump' each other, or take over another's
space. Only the King may occupy the centre square, although others may pass through it.
Captures
A piece is captured and removed when it is surrounded by
two opposing men on opposite adjacent squares. This must be done by the opponent - moving
a man between two opposing pieces does not result in a capture. The king may participate
in captures, but can only be captured when he is surrounded on four sides (see Winning).
Winning
The king's side wins if the king reaches any one of the
corner squares (some rules say any edge square, but most people find this too easy). The
opposing side wins if it captures the king by surrounding him on four sides, or on three
sides against the edge, rendering him unable to move.
Optional rules:
1) Pieces may be captured by a single man against the board edge.
2) The corner squares of the board may be treated as brown (king's) pieces, and like the
centre square, no one would be allowed to occupy them except the king. An opposing piece
could also be captured against a corner by a single man.
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