Tafl: Viking Chess

Tafl: Viking Chess: A Beginner's Guide

Most people sit down expecting something like chess, and then get thoroughly confused within three moves. That's fine, honestly, it happens to everyone. The two sides here aren't equal, which throws off anyone raised on symmetrical board games, and that lopsided setup is really the whole point. One king, a small ring of defenders, and a larger pack of attackers surrounding them from outside the board. Figure out which side you're playing before you touch a single piece, because the king's goals and the attackers' goals are basically opposites.

How To Play

• Pick a board size — 7x7 for a quick game, 11x13 if you want something that drags on and rewards patience.
• Black attackers move first, then turns alternate back and forth.
• Every piece slides in a straight line, horizontal or vertical, no diagonals allowed, similar to a rook.
• Captures happen by sandwiching an enemy piece between two of yours on opposite sides.
• The defending side wins by walking the king off the board edge or into a corner, depending on the variant you picked.
• Attackers win by boxing the king in completely, either from two sides or all four, again depending on the rules you're using.

Pro-Level Advice

The corner squares matter way more than they look like they should, so if you're defending, start pushing your king toward one early instead of hanging around the center hoping for an opening later. Attackers, meanwhile, need to think less about individual captures and more about denying escape lanes — a king with three clear rows in front of it will slip away no matter how many pieces you've sacrificed to get there. Bait pieces are your friend here, dangling a lone defender out in the open often pulls attackers out of formation, and that gap is exactly what a smart king needs to make a run. Play the AI a few rounds first to get a feel for tempo before jumping into a match against another person, since Tafl punishes hesitation fast, and a single sloppy turn can hand the whole board away.