VikingGameRules

Hnefatafl, the Viking Game, was popular in Europe before chess came along (around 1100 AD). There are many variants. We describe the rules of the best known variant here, the norse variant with an 11 by 11 board and no dice.

The game itself is simpler that chess in its rules, but strategically at least as difficult.

• Download a free playable version of Hnefatafl here.
• These rules are available at the website or in pdf-format .

Board setup

• Size
  The Hnefatafl board is divided in 11x11 squares. The four corner squares and the middle square are marked to indicate they are the king's fields.
  
   
• Throne
  At the start of the game, the king occupies the throne. This is the middle square.
  
   
• White pieces
  The white pieces belong to the side of the king. They are twelve in number and are placed in a rotated square around the throne.
  
   
• Black pieces
  The black pieces occupy the sides of the board at the start of the game. Each of the four sides has six black pieces: five in the middle five cells of the board side, one in the middle of the second rank.
  
   

Movement

• Game start
  Black starts the game by moving one of its pieces. Turns alternate between players. At each turn, the player must move one of its pieces.
  
   
• Rook movement
  Pieces move like the rook in chess. That is, a piece can move along each orthogonal direction, only one direction at a time, as long as it does not jumps over other pieces.

  Each square can contain only one piece, or none.

  Before black's first move	After black's first move

  
  

  
   
• Forbidden fields
  The four corner fields and the throne are forbidden fields for all pieces. They cannot pass over nor land on these squares. The only exception is the king: he may pass over and land on the five forbidden squares.
  
   

Piece capturing

• Custodial capture
  Pieces can capture opponent's pieces by "sandwiching" them between either
  • two pieces of the same color
  • one piece and a corner square

  More than one piece can be captured at the same time.

  Before white captures black piece	After white captures black piece

  
  

  Before white captures two black pieces	After white has captured two black pieces (one by sandwiching between two white pieces, one by sandwiching between a white piece and a corner square)

  
  
  

  
   
• King capture
  The king can only be captured by sandwiching him along both ortogonal axes.

  Before black captures the king by sandwiching him along both axes with black pieces.	After black captures the king.

  
  When the king is next to the border, only one black piece on the other side is needed to sandwich him on that axis. Furthermore, the king can be sandwiched between a black piece and a corner square.

  Before black captures the king by sandwiching him between a black piece and the throne on one axis, and between the border and a black piece on the other axis.	After black captures the king.

  
  
  
  

  
   
• Moving in between opposite pieces
  When there is an emptu square between two opponent's pieces, a piece can safely move in.

  Before black moves in between white pieces.	After black moves in between white pieces, black is not captured.

  
  

  
   

Goal

• White winning
  White wins if the king can escape to one of the corner squares.

  If white moves so that his king has a clear escape route to one of the corner squares, he must announce "Raichi". If he has two escape routes open, he must announce "Tuichi".

  These announcements are not necessary if black opens these routes inadvertently himself.

  White also wins if there is only one black piece left.

  Before the king escapes ("raichi")	After the king escapes: white wins the game.

  
  

  
   
• Black winning
  Black wins if he can capture the king. When black threatens to capture the king on the next round, he must announce "watch your king".

  Before black wins by sandwiching the white king.	After black wins.

  
  
  

  
   
• Switching sides
  If one wishes, one can play two games, switching sides, and count the number of captured pieces to determine the winner.
  
   

Please send your comments to Peter Doomen. This document was updated 31/05/2001.