Viking Chess (Hnefatafl)

How to play Viking Chess (Hnefatafl)?

Viking Chess, known by its original name Hnefatafl, is the most famous member of the family of tafl games played in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. On an 11x11 board, the king and 12 defenders are placed in the center, surrounded by 24 attackers. The defenders try to escape with the king to one of the four corners of the board, while the attackers attempt to surround and capture the king from all four sides. Viking Chess on the Oyun Treni website uses the same rule engine as our Viking Chess mobile app; you control the defenders and can play against the computer at Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels, or compete against a friend.

1. You control the king in the center and the 12 defenders (red); the computer or your friend plays with the 24 attacking pieces (dark). The defenders make the first move.
2. All pieces can move horizontally or vertically as many empty squares as they want, just like a rook; they cannot jump over other pieces.
3. Only the king may stand on the throne (the center square) and the four corners. Any piece may move over an empty throne.
4. If you trap an opponent’s piece between two of your own pieces (or an empty corner or empty space), that piece is captured. If you voluntarily place your piece between two opponent’s pieces, it is not captured.
5. The defenders win if they move the king to one of the four corners. The attackers win if they surround the king on all four sides with their pieces (including empty squares and corners); the king cannot be captured at the edge of the board.
6. The side that runs out of moves loses. If this situation occurs three times, or if no pieces are captured for 200 moves, the game ends in a draw.

Viking Chess (Hnefatafl) strategy tips

• Don't bring the king out right away as a defender; first, clear the paths with your defenders so that the king has open paths to two corners at the same time: the attacker can't block both at once.
• As the attacker, block the squares adjacent to the corners (the corner triangles); if the corners are blocked, the king cannot escape, and the checkmate becomes easier.
• Arrange the pieces side by side so they protect each other; pieces that stand alone and can be squeezed from both sides are easy to capture.

Viking Chess (Hnefatafl) history

Hnefatafl is the best-known member of the "tafl" family of games played in Scandinavia and Northern Europe during the Viking Age. The "hnefi" in its name means "king"; the game depicts the struggle of a besieged king in the center, protected by a small number of pieces, against a large number of attackers.

As chess became widespread in Northern Europe, tafl games gradually fell into obscurity; today, they have been revived based on rules compiled by researchers. The version on the Oyun Treni website is based on the widely played 11x11 Copenhagen rules.

Other names: Hnefatafl, Tafl, Viking Chess, Copenhagen Hnefatafl