Background

Hnefatafl (“the king game”) is an ancient boardgame played by the Vikings to pass the time on their ocean voyages. It was probably derived from a Roman game with similar rules and was later adopted by the Saxons. A number of different boards have been found in Viking burial mounds and there was some variations in the rules as well.

Strategy Tips

White should cover the exposed corners while gradually advancing on all sides. During the early stages, white cannot afford to lose too many pieces or else the king could slip through the gap created. Later, exchanges of pieces are safer for white (who initially outnumbers black 2:1) but generally, the more pieces on the board, the harder it is for black to move his king about. Note that most attempts to storm the centre are easily defeated by black.

Black should try to keep white off-balance by switching the directions his king is trying to escape in.

More Information

For a very detailed background on Hnefatafl, and its related ancient boardgames, I’d recommend reading the pages at http://hem.bredband.net/b512479/ and http://www.treheima.ca/viking/tafl.htm.