Hnefatafl photo gallery | Tablut | Viking board game | Viking Chess | Kings table

Photo gallery on the Viking board game Hnefatafl.

Photographers: Elisabeth Andersen and Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
19/7/2024 Trelleborg Viking Festival 2024.
Gøsta Petterson, Denmark, created and brought these board games to the Viking Festival.
We met this board carved in the table and all warriors set up ready for a game!
The other board is made from the one found in Oslo. On its backside Nine Men's Morris.
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Trelleborg Viking Festival 2024.

Photographers: Elisabeth Andersen and Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
19/7/2024 Trelleborg Viking Festival 2024.
1000 vikings in camp, and 250 heavily armed vikings in battle.
The battles ended with a demonstration of a giant shieldwall of 250 vikings, and the sight was so amazing that I froze and didn't get the photo.
The singing woman viking comes from Scania and plays a bowed lyre.
- And we brought home a bottle of fine wild berry mead!
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Photos: Luk Martens, Belgium.

22/7/2024. See also Tafl Shops
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Photographer: SkyeTafl, Netherlands.

14/7/2024. SkyeTafl writes:
My game (on a new board and set) against Colophonius, i still have some hope).
21/7/2024: New chess set.
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Basque Country Tafl Championship 2024.

Tournament results.
Photographer: Egoitz Campo, Basque Country.
11/7/2024 Egoitz Campo sent these photos and writes:
We have played the I. Basque Country Tafl Championship. We played the last saturday and here I send you some photos and results. We played 2 games per match and if they won their games, won the player who captured more pieces.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.
16/6/2024. John Larsen, Denmark, created this chess set and game box. The chess pieces are turned from steel and brass.
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My new game sets!

More boards.

Photo 2 is the Gokstad board from Norway.
Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
8/6/2024. Boards manufactured by Bjarke Bitrym, Denmark.
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Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth M. Andersen, Denmark.
6/4/2024. Easter.
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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
17/2/2024. Here are some photos from Saturday's Classical Board Games Day held in Zealand, Denmark.

The Classical Board Games Day has been held in Zealand, Denmark, twice a year since 2017. The event presented this time Hnefatafl, Tsuro, Chinese Chess, Lines of Action, Countermove, Othello, Hex, Atoll, Bear Game, Kalaha, Ludo, Shogi, Go, Dameo and many more.

Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Russia.

3/2/2024. Dmitrij writes: It was small (for 6 players) but very funny tournament, I will comment soon.

It was only 6 person in tournament, this year, and we played 10 games
Lewis Cross - W (11*11), round.
Time limit: 10 minutes for game, for each player (20 minutes together).
We noticed some White's advantage, in fast play ( in contrast to the calm game at the World Cup, with black advantage). About 60% of victories with white.
Take a look at our group photo, in the gallery.
To my left - is our friend Igor, he plays Copenhagen very well (in the Felhun app). And he took second place at Larix. I convinced him to register here.
To my right - is Konstantin, an excellent Brandub player.
At Larix we beat each other with white, they forced me to make mistakes with black, in limited time.
So I lost two games out of 10.
We also talked to strong Go players, many of them like Hnefatafl.
We will meet and play, sometimes.
So, I'll try to bring new players here)

- Below are also photo series from Larix February 1st 2023 and January 31st 2022.
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Photographer: SkyeTafl, Netherlands.

3/2/2024. SkyeTafl writes:
I just started making (as a hobby) chess and tafl boards and sets. And just thought to share with the rest of the players. I like playing but like making the sets as well. Greetings. (Tafl is something special)

Pictures of a tablut board and set I have made and also of a Brandubh board and set. (A new hobby, if I'm playing less its because I am busy making tafl or chess sets.)
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1/4/2023. Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal") sent these photos!

Photographer: Mikkel Berg-Nordlie, Sápmi (Norway).

17/9/2023. Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal") sent these photos and writes:
Bruktmarked. Aldri sett denne før. Meget lokal.
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Photographer: Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Russia.
1/8/2023. Dmitrij Tsvilenev made this photo series and writes: "From vikings festival 'Bylinnyj Bereg' (it means something like: 'Fjord from legends') on the Volga. July 21-23. I and my friends, still popularize Tafl, we teached guests of the festival how to play Tafl and Daldoz. It was great! I played some Tafl games, and realised that many guests play Tafl wery good!"
- See also the festival photos 26/7/2022 and 3/8/2019!
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Vittorio Vuyet, Italy.
31/7/2023. Vittorio Vuyet, Italy, sent these photos of his series of Hnefatafl game sets.
- See also Vuyet's game sets 30/7/2021!
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
23/6/2023. Midsummer Eve in the "Land of Legends" in Lejre, Denmark.
Photo 1: The Royal Hall.
Photo 3: Story teller.
Photo 4: Lead singer.
Photo 6: The "bonfire".
Last photo: Sculpture at the Lejre Museum. Odin and his horse Sleipner.
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Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth M. Andersen, Denmark.
3/4/2023. Easter.
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Photographer: Elisabeth M. Andersen, Denmark.
18/2/2023. Here are some photos from Saturday's Classical Board Games Day held in Zealand, Denmark.

The Classical Board Games Day has been held in Zealand, Denmark, twice a year since 2017. The event presented this time Chowka Bara, Dadu, Pachisi, Lines of Action, Fianco, Frysk, Japanese Animal Chess, Chinese Chess, Othello, TwixT, Draughts, Go, Trax, Hnefatafl, Tablan, Magic the Gathering, Hex, Atoll, Havannah, Quarto, Fangqi.

Photo 32: Saami jewellery as it has been made in Sapmi for 2000 years.
Photo 33: The Chinese puzzle "Tangram" produced in China about 1850.
Photo 35: Instructors trying the Frisian Dablo, using the game set manufactured by Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal").
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Photographer: Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Russia.
1/2/2023. Dmitrij Tsvilenev made this photo series and writes:
Some photos from Moscow board games festival - "Lariks". Last Saturday.
We made Tablut -w tournament for 14 players (Swiss sistem, 5 rounds (10 games for each player).
Bogdan Kholmogorov - won the tournament. Congratulations!
He is 11 years old!
You can see him in the group photo next to me.
He won 9 games out of 10!
(we beat each other by black)
For example, I won only 7 games and took second place.

- Below is also a photo series from Larix January 31st 2022.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Russia.
17/1/2023. Dmitrij Tsvilenev made this photo series and writes:
My friends organised Tafl tournament for child last holidays, at the one of Moscow chess school.
12 players.
I decided to send you some photo to publish in gallery.
Mayby it is first child Tafl tournament?
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.
15/10/2022. Here are some photos from Saturday's Classical Board Games Day held in Zealand, Denmark.

The Classical Board Games Day has been held in Zealand, Denmark, twice a year since 2017. The event presented this time Draughts, Frisian Draughts and Frysk, Othello, Go, Hnefatafl, Trax, Japanese Animal Chess, Chinese Chess, Fianco.

This time we were so fortunate to have as a guest instructor from Friesland in Netherlands Marten Walinga, double World Champion of Frisian Draughts 2018 and 2021.
Passages from Walinga's info:

Frisian Draughts was played in Friesland for more than 400 years and still today.
In earlier times games often spread via trade by sea, and houndreds of years ago this game reached also Scandinavia. The game is mentioned in several Nordic game books from start of 1800's.
Frisian Draughts is considered to be the most dramatic and challenging of all draughts games because of its many possibilites for spectacular combinations.

At the end of the event, Walinga played simultaneously against all, Frysk which is a simpler variant of Frisian Draughts.

Photo 1: Welcome.
Photo 2, 3: Hnefatafl, the games and variant introduced at the recent Medieval Festival in Ringsted, Denmark, was used ("Market Hnefatafl").
Photo 4, 5: Marten Walinga brought 13 Ipads with an app which made it simple to play the Frisian Frysk game.
Photo 6: Japanese Animal Chess.
Photo 7: Trax.
Photo 8, 9, 10: Chinese Chess.
Photo 13: Draughts.
Photo 17: Go.
Photo 19: Othello. The instructor is the reigning Danish Junior Champion of Othello, who will be representing Denmark in the forthcoming World Championship tournament in Paris.
Photo 30-35: Simultaneous games of Frisian Frysk against World Champion Marten Walinga.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.

26-28/8/2022. Ringsted Medieval Festival 2022, Denmark. We brought the board games Hare and Hounds, Fox Tafl, Jump Tafl, Nine Men's Morris, Hnefatafl, Daldos and a couple more.
The Simple Tafl-w 9x9 (Simple Tafl rhombus-w 9x9) was out in the open for the first time and did the job !! Still real hnefatafl with all the essentials but very easy to enter for total beginners; and a short game too, since festival guests have not much time.
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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.

5/8/2022. Three game sets ready for the Medieval Festival.
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Photographer: Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Russia.

26/7/2022. Dmitrij Tsvilenev made this photo series and writes: "This is some photo from the big historical festival "Bylinnyj Bereg" ("Epic Coast") 170 km north of Moscow), last holiday. We continue to popularize Tafl. This time we made a big Tafl and Daldos, on the grass."

The living history festival "Bylinnyj Bereg" ("the legendary river bank") July 22nd-24th 2022 on the banks of the river Volga near the village Toporok, Russia.

2.5 hours drive from Moscow, on the banks of the river Volga, a camp of Vikings and Slavs takes place on the ancient trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks."
This is a very big festival which has been held since 2011, participants come from all over Russia and neighbouring countries.
The festival includes a large combat program, tournaments, competitions and other demonstrations of skills. And a big market with all sorts of ancient crafts, which you can also try yourself.

Clips from the festival:
Bylinnyj Bereg 2022.
Bylinnyj Bereg 2022. Nejromonakh Feofan.

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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.

2/7/2022. Tour de France 2022 in Denmark.
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Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.

23/6/2022. Midsummer Eve in the "Land of Legends" in Lejre, Denmark.
Last photos show the midsummer sky directly north at midnight 24 o'clock Midsummer Eve.
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Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.

16/6/2022. We revisited the Royal Hall in Lejre, Denmark, a beautiful summer day, this time with Alexander Steiger Dis' Hnefatafl game.
First photos: Steiger's game set up in the Royal Hall.
Last two photos: Reconstructed Iron Age village, and reconstructed Stone Age long barrow.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographers: Dmitry Pashkov and Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr").
2/4/2022. Alexander Steiger Dis sent these photos and writes:
Photos from Daldos tournament last Sunday in Moscow (i.e. March 27th).
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
19/2/2022.
Here are some photos from Saturday's Classical Board Games Day held in Zealand, Denmark.
Photo 2: Welcome.
Photo 13: Our instructors of Chinese Chess are from China.
Photos 17-21: One of the instructors is a keen collector of antique games. The Chinese puzzle "Tangram" produced in China about 1850. And the Mona birds game produced 1890.
Photo 22: Instructors relaxing after the event. The girl is the reigning Danish Junior Champion of Othello (juniors up to 15 years old), and she is beating her mother in Saami Tablut 9x9 using the game set produced by Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal"). They both try the game for the first time.
Photo 23: Our set of Trax. Produced by one of the instructors in very good quality, and he still has a lot of sets for sale.
Photo 24: Our Hnefatafl game set produced by Alexander Steiger Dis ("Steiger").
Photo 25: Our set of Menara produced by an instructor from Germany.

The Classical Board Games Day has been held in Zealand, Denmark, twice a year since 2017 (though this is the first time in two years because of virus lockdowns). The event presents Checkers, Tabula (Medieval Backgammon), Moorish Sig, Hex, Othello, Go, Hnefatafl, Trax, Japanese Animal Chess, Chinese Chess, Pancha Keliya, Quoridor, Lines of Action, Twixt, Pente, Yavalath/Pentalath, Atoll and Quint.

Click on the photos for enlargement.

Artist: Copyright © Luk Martens, Belgium.

11/2/2022. Luk Martens ("Masterluke") sent these pictures and writes:
It's the process of 'serial' production of my Tyr (or Tafl) pieces.
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31/1/2022. Alexander Steiger Dis sent these photos and writes:
Here are some shots for the gallery from yesterday's Board Games Festival "Larix" in Moscow, where the players of the "Ethnic Board Games" held the Copenhagen Hnefatafl tournament.
Photos by Denis Tarkov and Dmitriy Tsvilenev.

The Festival of Sports-Intellectual Games "Larix" ( = larch tree) has been held in Moscow annually the last weekend of January since 2012. The festival runs for two days and is organized by the Checkers Federation of Moscow.
The festival runs tournaments of: International Checkers, Russian Checkers, Double-move Checkers, Anti-checkers, Chinese Checkers, Renju, Five in a Row, Connect6, Reversi (Othello), Russian Chess, Japanese Chess, Chinese Chess and Go.
The year 2020 256 players took part in this festival. Players come from all Russia and occasionally guests from Mongolia, Italy, Netherlands, Estonia etc.
2022 also Hnefatafl (Copenhagen 11x11) was part of the festival.
Dmitrij Tsvilenev ("Dimetr"), Dmitry Pashkov and Paul A. Anokhin ("paul7") were there!
Gold: Igor Sviridov ("Ingvar"), silver: Denis Tarkov, bronze: Georgy Ivanov. (Hat tip: Steiger)
Larix 2022.
Larix 2022.

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Artist: Copyright © Luk Martens, Belgium.

8/9/2021. Luk Martens ("Masterluke") sent these pictures and writes:
After the design phase, I finally took the first step towards 'production': the pawns of my self-designed Tafl / Tyr viking game. The first pic shows the 3 steps: the design file on the left, the stl.-file in the middle (for 3D printing), the result on the right. In the second photo you see 2 different warriors (5 cm height) and the king (6 cm). These will be used to make the casting molds.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Vittorio Vuyet, Italy.
30/7/2021. Vittorio Vuyet, Italy, sent these photos of his series of Hnefatafl game sets.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Artist: Copyright © Luk Martens, Belgium.

18/5/2021. Luk Martens ("Masterluke") sent these pictures and writes:
In the ever evolving process of designing (and redesigning) the fysical pieces for my Tyr board game, here is the latest version in 3D, including the horse seated commanders.
Compared to previous designs, these feature more detail (rivets on helmets, shields).
Also, I created a special 'Sutton Hoo' king, wearing the famous helmet.
Click on the drawings for enlargement.

Photographer: Alexander Steiger Dis, Ukraine.
13/5/2021. Alexander Steiger Dis sent these photos and writes:
Universal Hnefatafl set FLT XII for playing Brandubh, Tablut, Tawlbwrdd and Berserk Hnefatafl.
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Photographer: Paul A. Anokhin, Russia.
9/3/2021. Paul A. Anokhin ("paul7"), Russia, sent these photos and writes:
The wooden Brandubh set inspired by the famous Ballinderry board and the Tablut set were made by the Drevodeli artisan group in Pskov, Russia.
The smaller Brandubh set was made by Les 7 Cailloux in France. Their website is dead, I guess they're probably out of business.
And the ubiquitous "Viking game" set probably doesn't need an introduction.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Thomas, USA.
17/1/2021. Thomas, USA, sent these photos and writes:
Photos from Viking Ship Museum near Oslo for your photo page on your website.
- The Oseberg Ship!
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Photographer: Alexander Steiger Dis, Ukraine.
10/1/2021. Alexander Steiger Dis sent this photo and writes:
Berserk hnefatafl set made by Dmitry Pashkov from Ethnic Board Games, for the gallery.
Click on the photo for enlargement.

Photographer: "Hevux".

15/12/2020. "Hevux" sent this photo of his Berserk Hnefatafl game.
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13/11/2020. Alexander V. Fomichëv ("Ded Fomich") sent these photos and writes:
I have two photos I made before sending Steiger's boards to Mario (Casshern) and Marco (Mmagari).
For Marco it was a magnetic Brandubh board, for Mario - a Tablut set with very nice carved pieces.
Keep it on, Herr Steiger!

Photographer: Alexander V. Fomichëv, Moscow, Russia.

12/11/2020. Alexander V. Fomichëv ("Ded Fomich") sent these photos and writes:
I've just made a series of photos in praise of Steiger's 'Frontlinetafl' project. I'm a proud owner of three boards made by his marvellous pair of hands. All of them are presented on the photos.
Glück auf!
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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
10/11/2020. Jigsaw puzzle from Roskilde Museum shop, made in Norway.
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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.

8/11/2020. My new tafl game set from Ukraine created by Aleksander Steiger Dis.
The board is made out of a single piece of oak wood, a cross section all the way through wood, growth layer and bark still on both sides.
Game pieces are turned from oak and elm and mounted on leather.
The king is Odhinn carved from ash and mounted on a brazen foot.
Oak (board and attackers) symbolizes the strength, endurance and nobility.
Elm (defenders) personifies the struggle, justice and dignity.
Ash (Odhinn) embodies the connection between the heaven and the earth.
The carved inscription on the edges is verse #60 from Völuspá in Old Norse and in runes: Then again wonderful golden boards shall be found in the grass, the ones they owned in ancient times.
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Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.
16/9/2020. The Saami game set prize from the Norden Tournament 2020 and yet another beautiful late summer day.
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Photographers: Aage Nielsen and Elisabeth Andersen, Denmark.

15/9/2020. Visiting the Royal Hall in Lejre, Denmark, a beautiful late summer day.
Full scale reconstruction. The original hall from about 700 is located on a Lejre site with a series of halls. The halls older than this one are connected with stables and farm animals and therefore belonged to large farmers and chieftains. The reconstructed hall is the first in the series which is not connected to any stables and farm animals, which means that this one belonged not to a chieftain any more but to the first king, receiving taxes from his fellow men.
The legends about this site and the kings there have been alive in Denmark from Iron Age till this day.
The Royal Hall
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Photographer: Alexander Steiger Dis, Ukraine.
25/8/2020. Alexander Steiger Dis made this photo series of new tafl boards.
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Photographer: Mikkel Berg-Nordlie, Sápmi (Norway).

21/8/2020. Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal") sent this photo and writes:
Er på skip fra Tromsø til Bjarkøy. Med reinskinn, mjød og spill. Skal være seminar om håløghøvdingen Tore Hund. Jeg skal holde foredrag om de norrønt-samiske forhold i vikingtid. Passer da selvfølgelig å ta med tablut, et levende eksempel på samisk-norrøn forbrødring.
Click on the photo for enlargement.

Photographer: Luk Martens, Belgium.

13/8/2020. Luk Martens ("Masterluke") sent these photos and writes:
These sunny days are ideal to take pictures... Here are some photos of the finished Tyr game. Actually it's Simple Tyr, without special pieces.
I placed the pieces in either 15x15 historical Tafl and 15x15 Tyr set-up.
Click on the photos for enlargement.

Photographer: Aage Nielsen, Denmark.

23/6/2020. Midsummer Eve in the "Land of Legends" in Lejre, Denmark.
The Royal Hall is now finished, a full scale reconstruction of the royal hall from about 700 which was found a couple of kilometers from here.
This was the hall of Rolf Krake and the Scyldingas, and is the scenery of the events in the Beowulf epic poem. Tonight we did not see monsters from the marsh, though.
Then the reconstruction of an Iron Age village.
Last photo shows the midsummer sky directly north at midnight 24 o'clock June 21st.
Here are photos from the inauguration of the hall June 17th.
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