Brandubh

Brandubh Rulebook

Table of Contents

Brandub is played by two players, on the points or intersections of a board of 7 lines by 7, using 13 pieces: a king, four defenders and eight attackers. The central and corner points of the board are marked, as shown in Illustration 1.
The pieces are placed with the king in the centre, the defenders adjacent to him, and the attackers beyond, all forming an orthogonal cross reaching to the edges of the board, as shown in Illustration 2.
The attackers make the first move, followed by the king or defenders, playing alternating thereafter until the game is finished.

A player may move a piece by sliding it along a line in any direction to another point, as far as the player pleases, providing that it does not turn a corner or jump over another piece. See Illustration 3.
Only the king may come to rest on the central point or one of the four corners, though other pieces may pass the centre.

An enemy is captured by surrounding it on two opposite sides, along a marked line, by two of one's own pieces. The enemy is then removed from the board.
The king may act with a defender in making captures, and may himself be captured by two attackers, or two defenders may take an attacker.
If a piece simultaneously traps two or three enemies in different directions, all of the trapped enemies are captured.
A piece may move between two enemies without harm. One of the enemies must move away and back again to capture it.
Either side may capture an enemy by trapping the enemy between one of its own pieces and a marked corner square. The central square does not have this effect.

The king and defenders win the game if the king reaches one of the marked corner squares.
The attackers win the game by capturing the king.
If play becomes repetitious, if one player has no legal move, or if the players otherwise desire it, then a draw may be declared.

Some example moves and captures. The king may capture either attacker; the top left attacker would be trapped against the corner.