Play the Viking board game Hnefatafl online | Viking Chess | Tablut | Nefatavl

Play Hnefatafl Online. The Viking board game.

Play tafl against humans.
Тавлеи против людей.
Rasmus Holbroe vikings

Artist: Copyright © Rasmus Holbroe (Jan. 2016).

Tafl against the computer.

January 26th 2020 at 19:30 in Bulgarian National Television channel 2: Hnefatafl International Master Lucho Panchev ("OdinHimself"), Bulgaria, tells about Hnefatafl:
Watch the programme here!

Coming tournaments:
Alea Berserk 17x17 (Martens) test, starting Feb. 1st 2020.
Luk Martens ("Masterluke") modified Adam Bartley's Alea Berserk 19x19 into:
Alea Berserk 17x17 with berserk, historical king (i.e. weak) winning on edge, commanders, Bartley's variegated men and a new piece: guards. We tried eleven games and it seems to work, but a test tournament will tell. Martens describes the game here.
Sea battle T circle 11x11, not been in tournament since 2016, starting Feb. 10th 2020.
Historical Hnefatafl 15x15, not been in tournament since 2018, starting Feb. 17th 2020.
Go to the Play Tafl Against Humans page to join; the invitation is open for 7 days.

Small forum.
Code of Conduct. You should not post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful or threatening material. Doing so may lead to you being immediately banned for a period of time.


  02-17/07:47 Hagbard:  The Unst Alea tournament finished with #1 Jrton80, #2 Xerxes, #3 L716

  02-14/23:20 ChaolAibhne:  True, but I'd feel happier that everything was seen to be done properly

  02-14/23:20 ChaolAibhne:  True, but I'd feel happier that everything was seen to be done properly

  02-14/22:44 Hagbard:  There's not much white can do

  02-14/22:18 ChaolAibhne:  @Hagbard Thanks for fixing the discrepancy, but Efra's move should probably be reset too, in case they want to do something else.

  02-14/22:00 Masterluke:  @Hagbard: thank you!

  02-14/21:57 Hagbard:  fixed

  02-14/21:49 ChaolAibhne:  @Hagbard I've got the same issue with an unexpectedly armed king in my game as black against Efra

  02-14/21:13 Hagbard:  fixed

  02-14/19:53 Masterluke:  @Hagbard: in Tournament 154, the cargo ship seems armed? I play black against Jrton80. Can you fix it please? Thx!

  02-14/09:26 Masterluke:  Meanwhile, I keep on improving the 17x17 Alea Berserk Martens concept: see
http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=118&p=1261#p1261
It doesn't look much, but I think it could change the gameplay dramatically...

  02-13/01:25 ChaolAibhne:  @MasterLuke I think that's a good change to make. It did feel that the guards were sometimes more of a hindrance to white.

  02-12/11:56 Masterluke:  Yet another update regarding Alea Berserk 17x17 (Martens): see
http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=118&p=1260#p1260
This does not apply to the ongoing tournament, Hagbard and me are playing new test games.

  02-11/16:01 xerxes:  @Hagbard: Thanks Aage.

  02-11/15:59 Hagbard:  Bug squashed

  02-09/17:41 xerxes:  @Hagbard: In my Alea Berserk 17x17 (Martens) game with Masterluke (I am white), Masterluke has attempted M5 to L5 to take my Commander on L6, then L5 to K5 to capture and turn my Variable on I5.  As that is a second capture I think it should be allowed ?  Am I wrong or is that a coding erorr.  If it should be allowed I am happy for Masterluke's move to be reset.

  02-07/19:30 jrton80:  There I was one evening watching some show about a site in England. I cannot say I was paying much attention because the real content in most TV programs on any serious topic is about 10 minutes to the hour and 20 of that is commercials, but I digress, when they started showing all these lead balls from a time way before firearms. There were a dimple in the bottom of these pieces, I am suddenly thinking, “you put a wooden dow in there and you got a game piece” and sure enough, they are finally talking about Hnefatafl. It was rather fun watching create new pieces in the same style. I got such a laugh out of that I just wish the rest of the show was worth watching – I might have remembered which dig it was

  02-07/15:52 Agmundr:  From the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/06/boardgame-piece-first-viking-raid-found-lindisfarne-archaeology

  02-07/15:49 Agmundr:  British archeologists have found gamepieces from the Viking time in Lindisfarne.
https://www.nrk.no/urix/fant-unik-spillebrikke-fra-vikingtiden-1.14893366

  02-06/10:22 Masterluke:  @ Adam: Good thinking, Adam! ;) Indeed, the K should be a G, but you're right in assuming it's for reasons of simplicity they're named K - for now...

  02-06/10:03 Hagbard:  Yes the "reuse" of pieces made it simpler to program, blocKer it is!

  02-06/09:54 Adam:  @Masterluke and @Hagbard, sorry, I found the rules now! Also, I see the Luk proposed G for guard. No doubt the K is a stand in to simplyfy programming during testing. I will imagine them as K for blocKer. :)

  02-06/09:50 Adam:  @Masterluke and @Hagbard - just a thought, pieces with new variations of ability might be easier to follow in game with a new name and letter. Perhaps the kings defenders in the 17x17 alea game could be 'B' for blocker instead of 'k' for knight? Is there a full rules list somewhere by the way, before I make a stupid move!?

  02-05/19:20 Hagbard:  The Tawlbwrdd tournament finished after hard battles! #1 Casshern, #2 Death, #3 Chaolaibhne

  02-03/20:00 Hagbard:  New in gallery: Luk Martens created this drawing for his next game box!

  02-03/13:07 xerxes:  @Hagbard: Many thanks Aage.

  02-03/13:06 Hagbard:  The Draw button is a flip-flop button. If you activated a draw request by mistake, you can cancel it by clicking the Draw button again.

  02-03/12:37 Hagbard:  I'll see what I can do

  02-03/12:37 xerxes:  @Hagbard:  Masterluke and I have had a miscommunication, which has resulted in our game in Tournament 153, Alea Berserk 17x17 (me as White) being drawn.  Is it possible to undo the draw ?  Thanks.

  02-01/09:26 Hagbard:  Excellent TV programme!

  01-31/16:55 OdinHimself:  Thank you Hagbard! :)

  01-27/21:00 Masterluke:  Another update for the 17x17 Alea Berserk (Martens) variant: http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&p=1254#p1254
That's where test games are for! :)

  01-22/08:19 Hagbard:  The day is 1 hour longer!

  01-19/11:32 Masterluke:  Testing game rules are slightly altered, after Hagbard and I concluded it was too favourable for black, see: http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=118&p=1250#p1250

  01-16/23:29 Hagbard:  The variegated men, a guess: Number of blacks are twice the number of whites, so the variegated are more likely to be captured by black and thus more likely to favor black, just a guess.

  01-16/19:19 Masterluke:  Yes, I know... just wondering... :)

  01-16/11:04 Hagbard:  But they are the same as in the Alea Berserk Bartley.

  01-16/10:26 Masterluke:  What about the variegated men? Hard to say if they favor black or white, I guess?

  01-16/09:53 Hagbard:  At the same time the guards also make it easier not only for white but also for black, since 4 defenders are now unarmed.

  01-16/09:07 Masterluke:  To my surprise, I see there's already a test-version of Alea Berserk Martens! Because in real life, there are very few people I know to play with or are even interested in board games... Pitty I'm not skilled in programming, so could write an AI-game to play against... So many thanks to Hagbard! Let's see how this works out (or not).

  01-16/07:07 Hagbard:  And more pieces on the board: easier for black.

  01-16/06:14 Hagbard:  And wins on edge: easier for white.

  01-15/23:37 Hagbard:  Yes that's a fourth: No throne: easier for black.

  01-15/19:26 Masterluke:  @Hagbard: you're right about that. The only way to find out is testing and playing. But I thought: here ar so many experienced players with an opinion... I also like its 'thronelessness' like in the sea-battle variants, which are the most balanced...

  01-15/18:32 Hagbard:  Perhaps some players could at first try the Masterluke variant IRL against family and friends? Compared to the Bartley Alea Berserk: 17x17 board: easier for white, king captured from 2 sides: easier for black, added guards: easier for white. It's hard to predict a balance.

  01-15/16:44 Masterluke:  @Hagbard: Eventually the king must come out from between his guards to reach the edge? It is then the attacker should react... But maybe you're right and there should be an extra rule included regarding the guards... I got them from boardgamegeek and I found them very interesting...

  01-15/16:34 Hagbard:  Can the four guards stay on the king's four neighbour squares? When doing so, the king is isolated from all other pieces and can not be captured but only surrounded.

  01-15/15:56 Masterluke:  Hey you all, maybe you should look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxFkeBHIarg&feature=youtu.be
Yes, I designed another Tafl game. I posted already a thread about this last week, see http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=118
Fishbreath tested it already and he thought it to be fascinating and engaging.
I don't know, maybe it needs some testing. I'm hoping some day sooner or later I get the chance to produce it for real, I mean no computer game.

  01-14/11:27 Agmundr:  @Steiger: No problem my friend! 🍻 I have problems writing when using my phone too in Playtaflonline. Let's rock! \m/

  01-13/18:08 Steiger:  Salute, Agmundr! Sorry, I can't write messages on playtafl. Glad to play with you again. When I fix my computer machine, then will be more games.

  01-13/09:53 Hagbard:  Reminds of the buffalo scene in Dances with Wolves -

  01-13/05:52 Hagbard:  If that were true, it would no doubt be a very un-eskimoic thing to do in arctic area with so scarce ressources, and probably make the people extremely unpopular.

  01-13/00:41 ChaolAibhne:  Overhunting of walrus ivory, prized for luxury items such as tafl pieces, may explain the mysterious disappearance of Greenland's Norse colonies in the 15th century. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200106103457.htm

  01-12/12:19 OdinHimself:  @Agmundr: In the name of Odin, yes!!! :)

  01-12/11:47 Agmundr:  @OdinHimself: Hi! I have accepted odin's invitation to play Copenhagen Hnefatafl at http://beta.playtaflonline.com, do you want to play the game my Viking Brother? 🍻

  01-11/08:36 L716:  Wow, right at the morning. Thank you, Hagbard!

  01-11/07:33 Hagbard:  fixed

  01-10/23:02 Hagbard:  Will be fixed tomorrow!

  01-10/21:36 Masterluke:  Attention: when playing the Unst version of Alea Evangelli, which is now in testing process, something goes wrong: the hirdman (C) should only be captured by 3 sides. This is also mentioned underneath the game board. As I'm playing with Jrton80 right now I was able to capture a hirdman 2-sides. This happened twice; but the first time it was against the edge, so I thought this was normal... The second time however, I could capture a C-man in the middle of the field with 2 pieces. I guess something's wrong with the game-play here?

  01-10/08:15 Hagbard:  The Berserk Master tourn. finished, and L716, Jrton80 and Bogd khan all got 9 points. However, in the "sub-tournament" among those three alone, the points are Bogd Khan: 3 pt., L716: 2 pt. and Jrton80: 1 pt. So the result is #1 Casshern, #2 Bogd Khan, #3 L716 and #4 Jrton80.

  01-08/22:01 Hagbard:  Full scale reconstruction of the Viking Age royal hall in Lejre, Denmark. Article and video!
https://www.tv2lorry.dk/lejre/enormt-vikingebyggeri-star-snart-klar-og-far-royal-indvielse

  01-03/17:06 Hagbard:  Hi Malte, the tournament is open and you're welcome to join, just tick the "Tournament 151"

  01-03/17:01 Malte:  Hi, I’m new to this site (joined after Christmas, played 5 games of Copenhagen 11x11) and just saw the Tournament 151 invitation. Are these tournaments open for anybody, how are they organized?

  01-03/10:09 Hagbard:  An evaluation of the WTF tourn.:
http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&p=1238#p1238

And many thanks to Dmitry Pashkov, Russia, for kindly offering the fine tournament prize!!!

  01-02/15:01 Hagbard:  New in gallery: Luk Martens sent photo of a game set for the Alea Berserk!

  01-02/07:37 Hagbard:  The day is 8 minutes longer!

  01-01/13:17 OdinHimself:  Be happy, tafl warriors!!! Let Odin fill your nets with herring, let Thor give you strength and Tyr courage, let your horns and cups will always be full with mead and your hearts with honour and pride! Fight with passion, lose with dignity and win with glory, this is our viking code!

  01-01/11:30 branan:  Happy new year everybody. I wish you the best for 2020!

  01-01/08:28 Hagbard:  The most active players 2019:
Jrton80 714 games
Masterluke 553 games
Hnefihunter 396 games
branan 384 games
ChaolAibhne 367 games
xerxes 322 games
Agmundr 288 games
casshern 267 games
Ded Fomich 259 games
L716 243 games
Bogd Khan 226 games
unhandyandy 224 games

  12-31/20:08 Jrton80:  @ChaolAibhne but like I said - canceling or going back to Check your games will clear that - What can I say I am in Technical support - I's all about finding workarounds!

  12-30/23:20 Hagbard:  Casshern won the Berserk Master tournament! #2 not known yet.

  12-30/08:06 Hagbard:  Thank you for the observations! It's a complicated part of the game engine.

  12-29/04:00 Bogd Khan:  I remember in this move I wanted to move b8-b10 and something strange happened and took the both warriors with the other piece.Maybe because I canceled the move several times...but never mind, well deserved win for L716. Just need to take care when canceling moves in Berserk games :))

  12-29/02:32 ChaolAibhne:  I'm now wondering if an odd thing I've seen during actual play of Berserk might be related: if you try a move that captures a piece but then make a different move, the piece that had been captured will be restored but will be overlaid with the three horizontal bars that signify a capture. Perhaps that's indicative of something erroneous being written to the game record.

  12-29/00:30 Jrton80:  er...without canceling....

  12-29/00:29 Jrton80:  @Hagbard I have seen a lot of goofy things on Replay in Berserker - it usually happens if you are testing moves and try multiple things with canceling ot going back to check your games. it is only when you test a move, then click on another piece that the replay seems to have an issue

  12-28/20:07 ChaolAibhne:  I thought I should raise the issue if there was a flaw in the game engine, but I was sorry if that would upset the course of the game. So I'm relieved to hear that it hasn't.

  12-28/15:22 Hagbard:  Thank you! This says something about where to search for the bug. And that the game was played correctly.

  12-28/13:56 L716:  e11 was not captured in the game

  12-28/13:53 L716:  Additional information: in the game itself moves were shown correctly. This strange thing exists only in replay

  12-28/07:00 Hagbard:  It must be a flaw in the game engine.

  12-28/04:46 ChaolAibhne:  In the L716 / Bogd khan game from the current Berserk Masters tournament how is move 45 a valid berserker run? It seems to me that d10 can move to b10 to capture b9 or move to d11 to capture e11, but that the only way to capture both is by means of an intermediate capture that links them – but there is none. Have I misunderstood something or is there a flaw in the game engine?

  12-27/23:25 Jrton80:  I am happy with my 9 wins there - usually I am lucky to be able to play 500 ball, I seem to do better with the Berserker

  12-27/09:01 Hagbard:  The day is 2 minutes longer!

  12-27/08:44 Hagbard:  Lead in Berserk: Casshern 10 pt.

  12-24/12:22 OdinHimself:  https://i.postimg.cc/7LWVSynJ/80757189-2302872436671125-6991039849633415168-n.jpg

  12-24/12:22 OdinHimself:  [url=https://postimg.cc/TyngXFST][img]https://i.postimg.cc/TyngXFST/80757189-2302872436671125-6991039849633415168-n.jpg[/img][/url]

  12-24/06:48 Hagbard:  The day is 1 minute longer!

  12-22/20:28 OdinHimself:  The shortest day - The black winter day. Amorphis, Finland, Tales from the thousand lakes (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxG5pjI8wLk
Enjoy!

  12-22/19:02 Hagbard:  The shortest day is passed!

  12-22/10:44 Hagbard:  Congratulations to Mario for winning the Championship tournament!!
Thank you very much to all the tafl players who participated in the tournament! It has been very entertaining to see the games; in all three rounds is a multitude of clever tactics and strategy.
And thank you to Adam who did a fine job as the umpire!

  12-21/14:40 ChaolAibhne:  @Hagbard Thanks!

  12-21/14:39 Adam:  Speaking as umpire: Casshern is the winner of the Championship Final! Bogd Khan finsihes #2, Death #3 and Khan Asparukh #4. Congratulations to Casshern and the runners up, and thanks to everyone who took part. And thank you Hagbard for hosting another great tournament. Well done everyone for finishing before the holidays, have a great christmas and new year where ever you are.

  12-21/12:59 Hagbard:  http://aagenielsen.dk/berserk_rules.php

  12-21/11:24 ChaolAibhne:  Thanks @Hagbard, that's definitely better. Might I suggest one further tweak: moving the sections on capturing the king to before dealing with the berserker rule, so that all the information on the mechanics of capture is presented together.

  12-21/10:08 Hagbard:  @ChaolAibhne, good idea:
http://aagenielsen.dk/berserk_rules.php

  12-20/23:39 Hagbard:  All games in the World Championship tournament are completed.

  12-20/21:08 OdinHimself:  Congratulations to all medalists!!!

  12-20/21:01 Hagbard:  Bogd Khan and Death both won 3 points in the Championship Final.
Sonneborn-Berger scores are 9 for Bogd Khan and 5 for Death.

To umpire Adam:
Requested that Casshern won the Championship Final,
and that Bogd Khan is #2, Death #3 and Khan Asparukh #4.

  12-20/19:55 ChaolAibhne:  @Hagbard, I've just been surprised by having my king captured by 2 commanders in one of my first games of Berserk. I see now that this is indeed in the rules, but might I suggest that it's moved out of the section on how to win (where it might be overlooked) and into the section that is devoted to capturing.

  12-19/17:22 casshern:  Thank you, Lucho!! And thank you for the kind words!!

  12-18/18:33 OdinHimself:  Congratulations to casshern!

  12-18/16:39 Hagbard:  And Casshern is first to finish all games in Valhöll.

  12-18/09:45 Hagbard:  Looks like Casshern won the Valhöll Final! #2 not known yet.

  12-14/23:24 Hagbard:  Lead in Berserk: Jrton80 3 pt.

  12-13/09:06 xerxes:  Congratulations to Casshern.  I agree with all that Odinhimself has said.  Not only is Casshern a great player, but he plays with humility and it is always a pleasure to be beaten by him (well, nearly).

  12-13/07:39 L716:  So many great players and yet there is only three participants in Berserk Tournament. Don't rest on your laurels! Go and play, you lazy Masters!

  12-12/19:17 OdinHimself:  Although it's not a news, casshern really deserves applause. Here we have many great players, champions that have raised hnefatafl's level of development to new heights. Only few names to mention, though there are many more - Nath, crust, Plantagenet, Adam, Herjan, casshern - all of them great masters that have contributed to tafl knowledge and strategy. They all will be remembered, their names will shine like lit by fire metal shields on the wall of fame. I have to admit that I have never seen such complex and passionate player like casshern before and I think we all have learned from his genious. So, I raise my Bragarful to honor those who are worthy! Skal brothers!

  12-12/06:59 Hagbard:  Casshern won the Sea Tafl Master tournament and the Triathlon too!

  12-09/19:55 casshern:  @Bogd Khan: I always enjoy our games. I have been lucky in the past to escape the jaws of defeat, but not this time. A well deserved win. Well played, Sir!!!

  12-09/18:55 OdinHimself:  Good job Bogd!!! :) You're Bulgaria's pride!!! Skal!!!

  12-09/15:09 Bogd Khan:  Thank you Mario for all the games we've played and all the things I've learned from you! It's always a pleasure to play against the best. Waiting so long for such a win, especially on the World Championship final

  12-07/10:50 Hagbard:  Lead in Valhöll: Casshern 3 pt.

  12-06/15:02 Hagbard:  Lead in Sea: Chaolaibhne 16 pt.

  12-03/09:52 Hagbard:  Lead in Sea: Casshern 15 pt.

  11-30/18:20 Hagbard:  Most active player in Valhöll: Casshern

  11-28/18:08 cassio:  Thanx @Hagbard

  11-28/13:15 Hagbard:  When you don't use the second one, it disappears by itself in 30 days

  11-28/12:53 cassio:  It's so easy to register here at aagenielsen.dk, that I registered twice by accident. Now I'm trying to close the second account, but I can't find out how.

Can anyone help me?

  11-27/14:45 Bogd Khan:  Yes. In this case Casshern won the two games against the third in the tournament Hnefihunter and lost game against Mikkhal but Ded Fomich lost one of the games against Hnefihunter, won the two games with Mikkhal and that means Casshern won more games against opponents with better scores in the tournament. Thats the easiest way to follow the rule

  11-27/14:34 Hagbard:  "It is computed by summing the conventional score of each defeated opponent, and half the conventional score of each drawn opponent."

That's right, it improves the sum to beat strong players.

  11-27/14:16 mihkkal:  @Hagbard: This one? "Adding the sum of the conventional scores of the players he/she has defeated to half the sum of the conventional scores of those he/she has drawn against."
I'll admit I found that a bit hard to follow.
Does it in practice mean that a player gets a higher (N)SB score if they win/draw against a player that has won more often, than they do if they win/draw against a player that has lost more often?

  11-26/23:11 Hagbard:  First game completed in Valhöll: Casshern / Khan asparukh

  11-26/23:09 Hagbard:  Like this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonneborn–Berger_score

  11-26/22:33 Mihkkal:  Congratulations to the winners! @Hagbard How is the Sonnenborn-Berger score calculated?

  11-26/14:50 Bogd Khan:  Amazing Master tournament with wonderful games. Congratulations to the winners!🍻

  11-26/12:08 Hagbard:  Lead in Sea: Chaolaibhne 4 pt.

  11-26/12:07 Hagbard:  Casshern won the Tablut Master tournament! A very close run it was, Casshern and Ded Fomich both got 28 points and also played even against each other. The Sonneborn-Berger scores, however, differed, 174 and 159.

  11-26/12:03 Hagbard:  A post about the Tablut tourn.:
http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefataflforum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&p=1229#p1229

  11-24/08:03 Hagbard:  The players on the invitation list were active the latest 30 days.

  11-23/22:16 cassio:  @Plantagenet — It seems there are lots of people whose names don't show up. I was trying to invite @crust, but couldn't.

Why isn't the list complete? Anyone knows?

Full contents of the small forum.

Hnefatafl is also known by the names Nefatavl, The King's Table, The Viking Game, Viking Chess, Tablut or simply Tafl.
History of this site.
Comments on Hnefatafl.
The origin of the Viking board game Hnefatafl and the Berserk rules.
Links to more information on the Viking board game Hnefatafl.
Tafl Shops.

Viking word of wisdom: The Hávamál.
(Havámál på dansk).

World Tafl Federation Championship 2019 started Sep. 15th 2019.
See the tournament page.

Здесь можно играть в тавлеи и против компьютера, и против людей. Можно использовать кириллицу.

Many thanks to Adam Bartley ("Adam"), Tim Millar ("crust"), Gregory Binns ("Torc"), John C. Ashton, Nicolas Cartier, Jonas Lööf ("conanlibrarian"), Olli Salmi, Damian Walker ("cyningstan"), Sten Helmfrid, Rene Gralla, Olga Mudrichenko, Gary and Christa (Germany), Ludovic Antoine, Nikolas Lloyd, Jeffrey Westcoat ("Sigurd"), Rasmus Holbroe, Thore Nissen, Lucho Panchev ("OdinHimself"), Alexander Steiger Dis ("Steiger"), Dmitry Pashkov, Delray Curtis ("jrton80"), David Zolli ("branan") and Luk Martens ("Masterluke") for their contribution to this site. And not least the more than 400 players the world over who played here more than 15000 real tafl games humans against humans and thus created a vast, practical experience with this intriguing, historical board game.

Updated 17.2.2020