Hnefatafl

About Hnefatafl

Hnefatafl is the Viking siege game, a thousand years older than chess in the north and never once a fair fight: sixteen besiegers against a king and his eight, played here against the Ferryman on the nine-by-nine Tablut board. Hold the king’s men and run him to a corner; hold the attackers and close the ring. Play either side, solo or live at the open tables, free in your browser, no ads, no sign-up.

How to play

Every piece moves like a rook, any distance along a rank or file. Nothing may land on the empty throne, and only the king may land on a corner. A piece is taken by the squeeze — caught between two enemies, or an enemy and the throne or a corner — but only when the enemy closes the jaw: stepping between two foes yourself is safe. The king falls harder: four sides on his throne, three beside it, two opposite anywhere else. The king reaching any corner wins for his men; taking him wins for the besiegers. A side with no move left loses on the spot, and a position repeated three times is a drawn siege.

Controls

• Tap or click a piecePick it up
• Tap a marked squareSlide it there

Tips

As the king’s men, open the board early: every rank the king can see is a road, and two open roads to corners cannot both be shut. As the besiegers, material hardly matters — the ring does. Wall the corners off first, keep your line unbroken, and squeeze the escort before you ever reach for the king.