Theory of Historical Hnefatafl:
The tafl games "Brandubh" (Ireland), "Ard Ri" (Scotland), "Tablut" (Sápmi), "Tawlbwrdd" (Wales, Old Norse word meaning "gameboard") and "Hnefatafl" (Iceland) are all versions of the same Iron- and Viking Age Scandinavian board game Hnefatafl.
Aage Nielsen, Denmark, 17.5.2016.
No restricted squares.
Market Hnefatafl 9x9 (Nielsen setup)
Tested at aagenielsen.dk, first time used at the Classic Board Game cafe 2018, Denmark, and also used at Ringsted Medieval Festival.
No restricted squares. Berserk rules (but weak king and win on edge).
Tyr: no special pieces.
Thor: Commanders who can short jump also over own fellow men.
Odin: Commanders and Variegated Men.
Loki: Commanders, Variegated Men and Guards.
Same rules as Fetlar, but the king can be captured on the board edge and can thus be captured by two attackers when on a square next to a corner. Draw forts and repetitions not allowed.
Berserk Hnefatafl 11x11.
Berserk moves. Two more types of pieces: a knight and four commanders. No rule about encircling all defenders (the commanders take care of breaking forts). Berserk Hnefatafl rules.
Unarmed King (Sea Battle).
The sea battle cargo ship is unarmed and captured from 4 sides.
Mikkel Berg-Nordlie ("mihkkal"), Sápmi / Norway, is the author of a university treatise on traditional board games in Sápmi.
Four of them are implemented here. One is the Norse Iron Age game Hnefatafl mentioned above, which survived in Sápmi under the name Tablut.
The three others are Sáhkku, Daabloe and Cuhkka.
Sáhkku 3x15.
Sáhkku is a racing game houndreds of years old in the Sápmi area.
The rules are explained in Norwegian
here,
and described in Wikipedia as Vuovdaguoika or Gávkevuotna sáhkku
here.
Daldøs 3x12.
Daldøs is a historical variant of Sáhkku known in Denmark and southern Norway.
Daldøs rules (Erik Østergaard)
and in Wikipedia. Board 12: you lost when you have 1 piece left.
Board 16: you lost when you have 2 pieces left.
Cuhkka 5x5.
Cuhkka is a traditional Sápmi game in the ancient board game family of draughts.
The rules are explained in Norwegian
here,
and to some extent described in Wikipedia
here.
Short summary:
The pieces follow the lines in all directions. Rules as in draughts.
When you cannot move any more without losing your last piece, you are Cuhkka! (same as checkmate)
NB! If Cuhkka is played with mandatory captures, then the Saami Cuhkka board game becomes identical to Alquerque (also known as Qirkat or El-quirkat) which is considered to be the Medieval parent of all draughts games.
Daabloe 11x9.
Daabloe is another traditional Sápmi game in the ancient board game family of draughts.
The rules are explained in Norwegian
here,
and to some extent described in Wikipedia
here.
Short summary:
Rules as in draughts.
The pieces follow the lines. They move only forward, but they capture in all directions along the lines.
A king can only be captured by a king. A prince can only be captured by a king or a prince.
You lost when
- you lost your king,
- you lost all other pieces,
- or if you cannot move anymore.
The versions Frisian Dablo 11x9 have mandatory capture. Frisian Dablo0: Normal Dablo plus mandatory capture. Frisian Dablo: Pieces move only diagonally forward, but capture in all directions as usual. Kings and princes can move backwards. Men on the last row are promoted to princes. Frisian Dablo2: Pieces move only forward (3 directions), but capture in all directions (8). Kings and princes can move in all directions (8). Men on the last row are promoted to princes.
Frisian Dablo is Dablo merged with Frisian Draughts, invented by Aage Nielsen, Denmark, Nov. 2022.
(Hat tip Brave-Frog, Ukraine, who inspired in the development of Frisian Dablo.)
March 6, 2026. Peter Michaelsen, Denmark, sent the following material on Dablo games and related topics and kindly permitted it to be shown here. Michaelsen writes: Mail 1.
and a second mail March 31, 2026: Mail 2.
Hex was invented by the Danish polymath Piet Hein in 1942. The game became known worldwide when Martin Gardner introduced it on his famous page about fun mathematics in the magazine Scientific American.
The rules are explained
here,
Short summary:
Black player must connect the two blue sides with blue dots.
White player must connect the two orange sides with orange dots.
Educational Videos
Educational Videos in English by Corey Hart ("Brench"), USA.
