Hnefetafl, Fidchell. A Preliminary Introduction

In the North and Northwest of Europe, there was played a game, or
games, that went by the name of fidchell in Ireland and hnefetafl
in Iceland. The correspondence of this game, or these games, and the
rules are open to opinions, and it is thought that the game observed
and described in Lapland in the Eighteenth Century C.E. by the
botanist, Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) is likely similar, if not
identical, to hnefetafl. This household plays a game derived from
Linnaeus' description which we call hnefetafl and which we consider
similar, if not identical, to fidchell. The set up, game description
and comments on game play and strategy follow.

Set up: We use pennies to represent the sixteen attackers, dimes to
represent the eight defenders and a quarter to represent the King,
usually called Queen in our household. These are placed on a 9 by 9
square board with the Queen in the central square and two defenders
to the left, to the right, in front and behind the Queen. The
attackers are arranged in fours on the outer columns and rows, one
man directly in front of each outermost defender and there are three 
attackers in a line behind this leading attacker, the middle piece
directly behind this innermost attacker. The diagram below indicates
this set up with: a representing attacker, d defender, Q Queen and o
showing a blank square:

   o o o a a a o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o o d o o o o
   a o o o d o o o a
   a a d d Q d d a a
   a o o o d o o o a
   o o o o d o o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o a a a o o o

Play is always begun by the attackers. All pieces have the same
movement as a rook in chess: right, left, front, back as many
squares as desired as long as these are unblocked by an opposing
piece; one must move, and one may only move one piece each turn.
The object of the game for the defending side is to have the Queen
escape off the board. The aim of the attackers is to capture the
Queen. Capture is by custodian capture: a piece with two opposing
pieces, one behind and one in front, or one to the left and one to
the right of it is captured and at once removed from the board, but
one may safely pass between two opposing pieces, as long as one
doesn't stop there. One does not move, nor capture, diagonally. Only
the Queen may stand on her square, though other pieces may pass over
it without stopping. If the Queen is standing immediately in front,
behind or to the side of her throne and there is an opposing piece
directly in front of her and on the two perpendicular sides of the
throne square from her, she is captured. This is represented in the
diagram below with: a attacker, Q Queen, o for blank square and X
for throne square:

   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o o o o o o      
   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o o o o o o
   o o o o a o o o o         o o o o o o o o o
   o o o o Q o o o o         o o o o a o o o o
   o o o a X a o o o         o o o o X Q a o o
   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o a o o o o
   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o o o o o o
   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o o o o o o
   o o o o o o o o o         o o o o o o o o o

Beginning players playing against other beginners may assume that
this game is very unbalanced, and that the Queen may easily escape.
This is in part due to the demand on the attacker to be especially
and constantly alert to the movement of the Queen who can slip right
off the board, unless another piece is in between her and the edge.
Two circumstances need to be kept in mind, as aspects of ensuring 
she has a piece between her and each of her four routes. One is the
realization that a piece captured is removed from the board. Thus,
if all that is separating the Queen from an opportunity to slip off
the board is one of her own men, capturing that man will grant her a
victory. Another requirement for the vigilant attacker is to guard
against the fork, the Queen being able to move to an empty row or
file, and, thus, having two choices of exit. Since one may only move
one piece on one's turn, one will be able to block only one of these
possible exits, and the Queen wins. This is shown in the diagram
below:

   o a o o a a o o o        o a o o a a o o o
   o o o o o o o o o        o o o o Q o o o o
   o a d o o o o d o        o a d o o o o d o
   a o o o o o o o a        a o o o o o o o a
   a a d d Q d d a a        a a d d X d d a a
   a o o o d o o o a        a o o o d o o o a
   o o o o d o o o o        o o o o d o o o o
   o o o o o o a o o        o o o o o o a o o
   o o o a a a o o o        o o o a a a o o o

Such an opportunity may present itself at any stage of the game and
is one reason beginning players consider the game unequal, with the
advantage going to the Queen. However, as one becomes more familiar
with the game and its possibilities, this advantage disappears. What
begins to happen then is that attacking and defending patterns soon
emerge. A defensive pattern can be box like, a development of the
basic protection afforded not simply by two pieces side by side, or
back to back, but also two pieces standing with a space in between
them. Two such pieces protect each other from one direction, and a
box of four such pieces is impregnable. It should be remembered that
as soon as a piece is in the position for custodial capture, it is
captured, and, hence, it is not possible to capture a piece by going
into such a position. Moving in between two opposing pieces has the
result that one is captured at once, with no ill effect to your
opponents. Returning to the box pattern of defence, an initial ideal
defenseive pattern looked like this: 

   o o o a a a o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o d o d o d o o
   a o o o o o o o a
   a a d o Q o d a a
   a o o o o o o o a
   o o d o d o d o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o a a a o o o

Of course, this diagram has not bothered to show development on the
attacker's part. The attacker is also striving to unfold a pattern,
and, while the box appears to be the most readily considered such
design for the defender, it's often a diagonal pattern that comes
easiest to the attacker. This is an attempt to link attacking pieces
together and then begin to squeeze the defender. Ideally, attackers
could be seeking something like this:

   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o a d a o o o
   o o a o d o a o o
   a a d d Q d d a a
   o o a o d o a o o
   o o o a d a o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o o a o o o o

Again, this diagram has not shown the development of the opposing
side, and, for example, the loss of the four outermost defenders, if
they simply stood still for this attacking pattern to develop. A
comparison of the two tendencies for patterned development may
suggest the results of actual play as there is the interaction of
the two attempts at development. Defenders, then, may develop not
all eight men, but a single box of four men around the Queen, as
they strive to slip from one to four others outside the encircling
attackers. Thus, play can settle into a phase of a battle against
those defenders behind attacking lines, as they seek the capture of
attackers, and attackers seek to take these defenders. The box of
four once it is established is impregnable and with the Queen free
to move in between, a game can be a stalemate, unless the defender
leaves the box. The box is shown below, as is the importance of
corners, especially to a defender outside the line:

   d o a o o o d o a
   o o o o a o o o o
   o o o a o a o o o
   o o a d o d a o o
   o a o o Q o o a o
   o o a d o d a o o
   o o o a o a o o o
   o o o o a o o o o
   a o d o a o o o d

Such ideal symmetry, especially outside the line, may be unlikely,
and it does give an idea of game strategy and what may lay behind
many a specific game. This is a game rich in possibilities, and the
above is only a preliminary introduction to it.

Michael McKenny August 14-15, 2002 C.E.



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