Fidhchell
Fidhchell Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Each team has two ways to win:
The ATTACKERS win (1) if they capture the King, or (2) all other enemy pieces.
The DEFENDERS win (1) if the King captures a Jewel, or (2) if they capture all enemy pieces.
Order of Play
The Attacker always moves first.
Pieces
The Attacker has eight Silver Men.
The Defender has four Gold Men plus the King.
How to Move
All pieces move one space left, right, up or down.
No diagonal moves. No jumping over pieces.
The King can move one space in any direction. Only the King may occupy/cross over the Throne (center space) or move into any of the four corner spaces.
Captures
All pieces (including the King) are captured by moving into the space the enemy is occupying, and removing it from the board.
Throwing the Bone
Each player throws the bone once at the beginning of their turn.
If the Bone lands lying flat (with the concave or convex side up) you are free to move any of your pieces.
If the Bone lands lying on edge (with the flat or twisted side up) you lose that turn.
Starting Position and Play (Second Page of the Sheet)
The sheet's second page is headed "Fidchell" and shows the starting position as a diagram: the attackers (blue) are placed along the edges of the board, and the defenders (green) with their king (yellow) are placed in a cross around the throne in the centre.
See above for the starting position of Fidchell.
Fidchell is comprised of two teams: the attackers (blue) and the defenders (green) with their king (yellow). The attackers are attempting to lay siege to the king, while the defenders are attempting to help the king escape.
In order for the attackers to win, they must surround the king on all four sides. The defenders must help the king escape to the edge of the board, in order to win.
Attackers move first. Then players take turns, each moving one piece per turn. All pieces move as far as they choose along any straight line (like a rook in chess).
Captures (Second Page of the Sheet)
Attackers cannot stop on the throne (the center space) but may pass through it.
Pieces are captured by flanking them on two sides. If a piece moves between two pieces of the opposing team, that piece is not captured; the capturing party must actively capture a piece of the opposing team.
The king is captured by surrounding him on all four sides. If the king is on a space immediately next to the throne, it takes only three Attackers to capture him.
Diagram 1 shows a legal move on the attackers' part to capture a defender. The piece about to move will not be captured by making this move.
Diagram 2 shows a legal move to capture the king.
Variation: Hnefatafl
The king can only win by reaching one of the four corners.
The attackers do not start on the corners (thus they only begin with 12 pieces) nor can they enter any of the four corners during play.
To capture the king along the edge of the board, it takes only three attackers.
Notes on the Source
The sheet is printed as-is above. Its two sides disagree in places, and both versions are kept rather than choosing one:
- Movement: the first page says pieces move "one space" at a time; the second page says pieces "move as far as they choose along any straight line (like a rook in chess)."
- Throne: the first page says only the King may occupy or cross the Throne; the second page says Attackers may pass through it (but not stop on it).
- Captures: the first page says a piece is captured by moving into the space an enemy occupies; the second page describes capture by flanking on two sides.
- Winning: the first page has the Defenders win when the King captures a Jewel; no Jewels appear elsewhere on the sheet, and the second page has the Defenders win by helping the King reach the edge of the board.
- Piece counts: the text gives eight Attackers and four Defenders plus the King, while the starting diagram appears to show more attacking pieces than eight.
- The sheet's board is a square grid with a Celtic-knot border; it does not show the circular board used in some other Fidchell sources.