A review of Hneftafl: An abstract game played by the Norseman “Vikings” as well as the other Scandinavian countries and also the Saxons.

I can play at Tafl,
Nine skills I know,
Rarely forget I the runes,
I know of books and smithing,
I know how to slide on skis,
Shoot and row, well enough;
Each of two arts I know,
Harp-playing and speaking poetry.
-Earl Rognvaldr Kali

So what’s the history behind this one? Or is this thing old?

Hneftafl: The Hnef means “King” in Old Norse and Tafl which means ”table” in the same language so in effect the games English equivalent would be kings table and it appears to be the only strategy game played by the Saxons until the introduction of Chess. As Chess and its pieces are referenced in modern literature so was Hneftafl in the scandanavian cultures. And you can find reference to the game in such differencing pieces of Norse literature as the Poetic Edda , Orkneyinga Saga, the Greenland Lay of Atli, Hervarar Saga, and the Fridthjof's Saga. It was considered the game of warriors and all lads were taught it as a means of learning tactics and strategy. So who ever said board games were a pointless hobby didn’t discuss it with the Vikings or if they did the didn’t live to say it again

What the game about?



Hneftafl is a game played on either an 11 x 11 board or a 13 X 13 board depending on the skill level of the people playing. It and all of its variants are an asymmetrical strategy games composed of two uneven signs. On the white side we have the King in the center on the throne square, a square that only he can enter(on the 13x13 board, on the 11X11 board there is not throne square) and his 12 guards,4 on each side of the king and on the black side we have the 24 barbarians 6 on each side of the board.

So how do you win?

The goal of the game is different for each side. On the Kings side the goal is to get the king to the edge of the board so that he can escape or to the corner of the board if you are playing the smaller board. And on the Barbarian side the goal is to capture the king or make it so the only spot the king can move to is back to the throne square.

So how is it played?

All pieces move like a rook in chess i.e orthogonally in any directions. And each player takes a turn moving 1 and only 1 piece as many spaces as he would like. You can capture other pieces by sandwhiching them between two of your pieces. The only rule being that you must of moved to the capture. I.e. you don’t get a free capture if an opponents piece moves between two of yours.


Since this an asymmetrical game the common practice is to switch sides after a game and play again. The winner being the person who won both or won as the king if still tied then the person who captured the most opponent would win.

You said there variants what are they?

The main variations of the rules are as follows. Either an 11X11 board or a 13X13 board. Either the king must make it to the corner of the board or make it to the edge. There is also a variant that has become a completely different game and that is

Alea evangelii
(which means game of the gospels)

And is played on a GO board. It is played on the intersection of the lines and is said to represent a naval battle. The goals are the same but the set up is completely different. This is the Saxon version of the game and if you ever want to burn your brain completely this is the game to play. See complete rules for it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alea_evangelii_%28game%29

And Finally. What is my opinion of the game?

To be honest I think Hneftafl is a very good abstract that requires a lot more skill then you would think with its very simple rule set but it is not as good as its variant Alea evangelii.

Allea_Evangelii on the other hand is a game everyone should play but you really should at least be decent at Hnefatfal before you give it a go cause its gonna destroy your brain.

Ohh wait I forgot Just as a small side note:
• A novice player in the role of white will generally win versus a novice player in the role of black.
• An expert player in the role of white will generally lose versus an expert player in the role of black.