HNEFATAFL 9 x 9 Board

The Viking game of attack and defence. The dark army attacks in order to capture the light king. The light army defends him and helps him escape to one of the castles in the four corners of the board. Have a go. It´s easy to learn and you´ll soon be captivated as the strategies develop.

The game begins
The king is placed in the middle of the board with the eight light pieces on the surrounding squares. The sixteen dark pieces are placed on the marked squares at the edge of the board. Each piece can be moved in all directions, except diagonally, one or more squares at a time. A piece may not however jump over another piece. Only the king is allowed to stand on the middle square or the squares in each corner of the board. .However the other pieces are allowed to jump over the middle square. The attacking dark army make the first move, each side making alternate moves.

Capture
A piece is captured if the opposing side traps it between two of its own pieces (fig.1) or against a corner square (fig.2).
The captured piece is removed from the board. Moving into a space between two opposing pieces (fig.3) is allowed and the piece is not regarded as captured. The king takes part in the game in the same way as the other pieces. The king must however be surrounded by four opponents to be captured (fig.4).

The winner
The defenders win if the king manages to escape to one of the four castles in the corners of the board. The dark attackers win if they surround the king with four pieces (fig.4) or with three pieces and the middle square (fig.5).