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 between 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.