Hnefatafl

Objective

1. Two players, the king's side vs attackers. There are twice as many attackers as defenders.
Copenhagen Hnefatafl 11x11 board
Initial set-up.

2. The attackers' side moves first, the players then take turns.

3. All pieces move any number of vacant squares along a row or a column, like a rook in chess.

4a. Capture
All pieces except the king are captured if sandwiched between two enemy pieces, or between an enemy piece and a restricted square. The two enemy pieces should be on the square above and below or on the squares left and right of the attacked piece, i.e. not diagonally.

A piece is only captured if the trap is closed by the aggressor's move, it is therefore permitted to move in between two enemy pieces. The king may take part in captures.

4b. The shieldwall rule for capturing a row of pieces on the board edge: A row of two or more taflmen along the board edge may be captured together, by bracketing the whole group at both ends, as long as