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The Standard Rules of Hnefatafl. In the standard version of Hnefatafl, there are only two types of pieces: The King; The Pawns (Vikings) That’s all there is to know. Easy enough right? How the pieces are allowed to move. The king and the pawns move in exactly the same way. For the chess players out there: they move like the rook in chess.
Hnefatafl print-and-play file with an elaborate 19x19 layout for 73 pieces. The board and pieces can be printed onto six sheets of A4 paper. A seventh sheet contains the assembly instructions and game rules. The rules are for the only known hnefatafl game on the 19x19 board, alea evangelii.
If you click on the "Rules Leaflets" link on the "Related Pages" sidebar of this page (to the right on desktop screens, or at the foot of the page on Mobiles), you'll see a range of downloadable PDF leaflets for different versions of the game.
This leaflet is a paraphrase of the rules developed by the Fetlar Hnefatafl Panel for their annual World Quick-play Hnefatafl Tournament. This version has been adopted by other tournaments around the world and is supplied with some commercial sets of the game.
HNEFATAFL RULES. Set up the board as shown above, the counter in the centre is the king and the counters surrounding him are his protectors. The darker counters are the attackers. The game is won by the attackers if they capture the king. The attackers always make the first move.
Rules for Hnefatafl board game (Viking Chess). Classic historical board game - comprehensive instructions for friendly play from Masters Traditional Games
What is Hnefatafl? Some history. How do you play? What is Hnefatafl? Viking chess game. History of Hnefatafl. “Tafl” was the generic name for games played on tables, Old Norse word for table. By the end of the Viking Age, it was called “Hnefatafl” to distinguish from other games. “Hnefi” referred to the king pieces.
