World Quickplay Hnefatafl Championships 2008

The final of the World Quickplay Hnefatafl Championships, held on the island of Fetlar, Shetland on August 16th 2008.

[@twitchster77]

*GONG!!!!!*

[@twitchster77]

I had to turn the mute on cause it was getting so freaking annoying! >.

[@beatrizmatia9006]

jaja yeah me too :D

[@deano270901]

i was there and came third place,now i am the junior champion!

[@piturnah4972]

Congrats!

[@mikeock2087]

Did this guy blunder the pieces or did he sacrifice them to expose the king or something? I just discovered this game and it seems like he blundered by plaing exactly the square where his pieces would be captured immediately

[@VuurBarbaar]

@@mikeock2087 not sure this time, but a lot of times your own soldiers are in the way. sacrifice them so black moves a bit how you want can be a strategie. this time no one knows what he was thinking tho

[@mikeock2087]

Thats a championship? Im a chess player and just discovered this game and its rules. This guys is blundering like crazy

[@Eric-ux4wm]

I'm right there with ya. Black wins 1 move earlier if they simply would have chosen to.

[@AlexBabcock-hw9iz]

I was thinking the same thing as he was sacrificing his pieces when he should of been blocking corners.

[@naskeri]

@@AlexBabcock-hw9iz yeah I'm 100% beginner myself, can't seem to make a good move even against a dumb computer opponent, and I was facepalming throughout this whole video. I mean, it might be the right move to sacrifice a soldier for another gain, but this was just sending them to the slaughter... On the bright side; I might not be so scared about playing against others now😝

[@naskeri]

@@Eric-ux4wm care to elaborate how the black could've won 1 move earlier? I agree black was terrible here but I didn't see that. But I'm a total beginner though... Genuinely curious🙂

[@AlexBabcock-hw9iz]

@@naskeri Yes it seems as the attacker you can very quickly make 2 corners impossible to use with just 3 men at a diagonal angle. Going after the Kings men in the beginning when they are bunched together seems foolish and a waste of your crew. Being the attacker you need a great number to block then slowly take and cut off and capture the king. Play against people as much as you can even in a defeat you can learn a lot and just enjoy yourself.

[@mikefearn5213]

I have just release my App version for iPad and iPhone (The Viking Game) which can play many different variants of these Tafl Games. It features the strongest A.I. Player yet developed to play these games. It also features board sizes from 9 x 9, up to the 15 x 15 board found at Coppergate in York. My version plays Edge escape rules which are now demonstrated to be far more strategic. Based upon the level of play in this video, I think my version playing Black would be the winner, regardless as to whether White plays corner escape or edge escape.

[@IRONxEWOK]

This is the greatest game ever.

[@HnefataflModern]

If there are any chess masters or dan level Go players, etc. watching this video, PLEASE do not judge Hnefatafl by what you see here. They are not playing by the proper rules! Do not be fooled by this being called a "Championship". This is an embarrassment.

[@gianb3952]

I know this was written 8 years ago, but what would those rules be? lol

[@adamtorkelson8272]

@@gianb3952 Rules in which the stated goals of the game are maintained, not changed. Black's stated goal of the game is to surround the king on four sides orthogonally by four pieces, but in top play with good players, black will win if he surrounds the king and any inconsequential white pieces with an *unbroken perimeter*. Then move 1 piece 1 space forward at a time and eventually after a very very long and extremely boring end game of about 50-75 moves, the king could be surrounded but it doesn't matter. White can only resign at the point of the PERIMETER formation. So the winning conditions have CHANGED. Clearly not what was intended. Further, Linneaus rules are clearly king escape to the edge.

[@kyalvidigi1398]

As a high elo chess player and 7 dan player, their game looks like kids playing.

[@MoonIsFlat69]

@@adamtorkelson8272 I dont understand the last part of your explanation although I am interested in what you mean. Even though you seem to hate the board game?

[@adamtorkelson8272]

@@MoonIsFlat69 I mean that in top play, players who play black have figured out it is best to not place pieces near the king as they get captured (as seen in this video). Your best chances of winning (by far) and easiest means of winning, is to surround the king from afar by making an impassable perimeter around the board. This blocks off the corners so the king can't win, and also allows black to slowly move his pieces inward UNHARMED at no risk one space at a time to surround the king on four sides. It takes a LONG time to do this and is totally pointless once the perimeter is formed. I don't hate the board game. It's just that this is not my favorite set of rules. The game is still quite playable up until the point of perimeter formation for black or a white escape. There are versions of the game that are more fun however, and still fairly balanced.

[@jjaapp18]

This is the championships? The guy playing black was playing like an amateur...

[@jjaapp18]

@Whited Out I'm going to assume you weren't watching the match, because it's clear he was bad, not that she was so good.

[@juanmoralesvideo]

Well, may be you could upload some videos of your gameplays, put links here, so we can see and lear how a "non-amateur" player does it. Thanks in advance.

[@jjaapp18]

@@juanmoralesvideo Yea, have fun with that logic train. Just because I won't do what you want doesn't mean I'm not right. Fuck off.

[@georgemerchant5634]

He sacrificed multiple pieces for no reason. Horrible play.

[@juanmoralesvideo]

@jjaapp18 Ops, it seems that you got offended with my asking. Sorry, kid.

[@plj103]

All you need to do is be the black offense, move 4 of your pieces to the four corners, then keep moving the rest of your pieces towards the king in the middle. You win by sheer numbers.

[@HnefataflModern]

Gilmaris wrote: "Yes he could, by trapping her king between one of his pieces and the red square, which would capture it." No, that is incorrect. The king cannot be trapped between a single black piece and the corner. The king would move to the corner on his next move. If it were a white pawn, then yes, it is captured since pawns cannot move to the corner on the next move. Remember the king must be surrounded on four sides, not two. SpiderWick was correct with his/her original statement.

[@fredv3043]

I was riveted!

[@alangee2200]

Marvellous !

[@parkparndejpong]

who the fuck is hitting that fucking gong

[@IRONxEWOK]

Greatest game

[@Sevenolives]

I enjoyed it in 2019!

[@gingergargoyle]

okay - I've got to ask ... what is with the gong in the background?? i thought it was a clock at first but there are way more than 12 chimes there.

[@Anton_the_Vampire]

Master move at the end. Awesome.

[@enigma9306]

I love the pebble pieces

[@valdrblodorn7151]

I agree! I am fairly good at wood working, and wood burning, but I really want pieces like these. Even on a very detailed and crafted game board, these stone armies would look great. I guess now I have to get the right tools to cut stone. I have been tempted to buy expensive tafl games that were in the $250 to $500 range. Instead I spent $100 on tools and wood to make my own. I have been making the attackers, defenders, and kings out of wood, but they don't look as good as these, and they fall over easily.

[@kyalvidigi1398]

More like a casual game to me.

[@collegecollage]

@gingergargoyle Because this is a "quickplay" version, the gong is used to signal to the players that they must move.

[@authunhx3129]

well done!

[@stephengiorgis7072]

Well played

[@SpiderWick12]

@Gilmaris She one with this move because there is no possible way for the other player to win. She didn't win by landing on that space, per se, rather she won because the opposer had no opperotunity to stop her from moving there on the next turn.

[@whenu555iam666]

Great, i love Hnefatafl... an awesome game

[@Gilmaris]

@SpiderWick12 Yes he could, by trapping her king between one of his pieces and the red square, which would capture it. But it is amazing why he didn't trap her on her previous move. It is also amazing that she would make that previous move, leaving her king completely vulnerable.

[@thorspeeler9215]

Judging from this video I think I could be a world champ at this

[@christiansanchez1486]

Damn that clean end game

[@davidwilson6577]

1:05 block's move is illegal, right? He moves his piece between two of whites, essentially capturing it for her.

[@SpiderWick12]

@Gilmaris Oh, I missed that. I was thinking there was no way to trap the king into the red square... wasn't being observant. In that case, I guess this is a different variation, or someone resigned or something.

[@marcelomendez6180]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@redred333]

Last move was brilliant. Well played

[@deano270901]

@EricSchwin22 it's to show whos turn it is

[@HnefataflModern]

Gilmaris wrote: "But it is amazing why he didn't trap her on her previous move. It is also amazing that she would make that previous move, leaving her king completely vulnerable." That is nonsense. Moving the king to an open file is one of the most common ways to set up a win. That's exactly the reason the game was over on the move you are criticizing, ironically. Black could not defend both corners (or both files to get to the corners) at the same time (in one move).

[@dontaskwhatmyname9002]

Championship???????

[@HnefataflModern]

These players are not very good at all. Why is black sacrificing a piece on almost every move? He needs to be localizing the fights at the corners and the perimeter of the board by securing and defending the three diagonal spaces that protect each corner. Every time he loses a piece like that he is greatly reducing his chances of winning. His opponent isn't much better. The game was over at 3:13 and I don't think either one of them realized it.

[@VarunSingh-fx8pb]

It was not actually over at 3:13....or maybe it was and I can't see it. You have to place four peices on the diagonals to capture the king

[@adamtorkelson8272]

@@VarunSingh-fx8pb Yes, it was. Do you not see that at 3:13 black cannot defend BOTH sides of the board? Do you not see that white has TWO winning moves?

[@adamtorkelson8272]

@utewbing Have you seen the Hnefatafl tournament from 2011 that took place over the internet? It is on youtube. That's the only one I can think of.

[@RetroMaticGamer]

I mean, he did make an illegal move a 1:06 and neither player even knew. You can't move into a space if you'd be flanked on opposing sides (like with a capture). You can go THROUGH them, but not stop IN them. In this game, that happens a total of three times and nobody cares.

[@phatmarx]

3:19 is it me, or could he clearly have trapped the king on this move? im new to this, but please, can someone explain why he did not just trap the king on this move at 3:19? Like, instead of moving the one soldier, he chose he could have moved the other and trapped the king.. ?

[@amerabdulstar4172]

To trap the king you have to trap all 4 square around the king with black soldiers instead of just 2

[@ishakigoshmier550]

Gongs fucking fire me up

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

@5tonyvvvv Don't think it's based off of anything, and noone know who invented it. All we really know about it, is that it's OLD and appeared in Scandinavia first. There is an extensive wikipedia article about it. Chess has different origins though.

[@soton4010]

Chess is Indian in origin but the variety we come to know evolved through the middle east

[@EricSchwin22]

Okay why is there a Bell ringing in the background?

[@Blueniter]

I believe its like Scandinavia special day of the week and the clock goes for a long time to celebrate something probably.

[@bugsbunny9334]

If the king cannot capture pieces, how did she take his guy at 2:38? He moved into that position so he could be captured in the sides

[@christiansanchez1486]

Because the king didn't capture the pawn(so to speak) did since the king wasn't the piece that was moved.

[@TheFlyingFishy]

King has to be flanked by all sides from what i know

[@RetroMaticGamer]

1:06 illegal move. You can go THROUGH flanked spaces, but not ONTO one. Neither apparently knows this. Again at 1:30 and 2:29. I don't know what the hell they're playing, but it's not Hnefatafl.

[@rampantmutt9119]

"You can go THROUGH flanked spaces, but not ONTO one." The rules that came with my Hnefatafl when I bought it say otherwise.

[@merccc1]

Wait, I thought the king can only move 3 places a time. I cannot find a clear rule book anywhere....

[@mapahastaelpasadizomhep4655]

tafl.cyningstan.com/page/88/fetlar-hnefatafl

[@b.b.holmes8255]

@@mapahastaelpasadizomhep4655 you are amazing thank you

[@Qu0thTheRaven]

Whooo

[@DisVietVetUSA]

what with the constant gong, gong, gong

[@MrPleers]

Does the gong means you have to make a move ? If that was the case with chess, it would freak me out. Very annoying.

[@TaiChiKnees]

At 3:12 it looks like the black player could have easily flanked the king. Is there some rule that the king can't be flanked by two pieces in this version of the game?

[@collinhicks37]

I believe the king needs to be flanked on all sides instead of just 2

[@TaiChiKnees]

Ah. Thanks!

[@TaiChiKnees]

***** Ooh! Thank you for the information!

[@bombud1]

youtubes anti shake is everyones friend. use it please

[@Gilmaris]

How come she won by that final move? Doesn't the king have to be ON the corner square to win? When I did that exact same thing on an online game, my king was captured by being caught between a warrior and the corner square. I realize rules vary, but surely the very objective, that the king tries to make it to the corner squares, is absolute?

[@mace8873]

In that case, the online version you've played is poorly programmed. About how the king can escape - that depends on which rules you play by, if you play by the Copenhagen or Fetlar rules then yes, the king can only escape through the corners, but if you play by York rules, any square along the edge of the board will do. And, she won because only the king can land on a corner square, so the attacker had no way of stopping/blocking her. EDIT: I think I know which version you played, I just did a little test on www.lutanho.net/play/hnefatafl.html and at that site the king can be captured by only 2 attackers, so I've taken the liberty to contact them and ask for this issue to be corrected. For what it's worth, here 9 years later...

[@Gilmaris]

@@mace8873 I don't remember which online game I played when I made that comment, but I do still have the rules that came with my physical board game, which I purchased at the Jorvik Viking Centre in York - and which specify that the king must reach a corner square. And indeed, it would be odd to give the corner squares their own colour if this were not the case. Of course, once you get the king to a square right next to a corner, there's nothing to be done anyway, but technically the game does not end until the next turn when the king will (presumably) make his escape. Looking back at my old comment, it does seem like I was inspired more of the online rules than my physical version, though.

[@mace8873]

@@Gilmaris I guess the version they sold in York, wasn't a version with the York rules then.:-) But ok, I don't know when the different rules were written, or who did it, I just know there are at least three slightly different variations, but I've never heard of a set of rules anyone abides by, that states that the king can be captured by 2 attackers, or one attacker and a corner square. But, considering we don't know the rules they played by back in the days, I guess anything goes, I just feel the "fairness" if you can call it that, disappears if the king can be taken down easily, after all the attackers are twice as many, so the defenders should have some sort of advantage. Another thing, next time you play with someone, try setting a 3-5 square maximum range for the pieces and see what happens, it becomes a totally different game.:-)

[@mace8873]

Great game, but not great players.

[@juventusventuno9213]

i thought the king must escape to a corner. her win move was 1 outside corner

[@TonboIV]

Black cannot enter the corners, thus cannot prevent escape on one more move.

[@darkshadow-1613]

Wow um… the attacker had one move to win, and moved a separate piece, letting her win

[@KK-eu9bo]

Lol, RIGHT??

[@SilentShadovv]

Dafuk is with that gong!?

[@geralynleanmuili2525]

Domino eclue cody almond dave

[@NikXD-fm2kq]

I have no enimies

[@polystationclassic9609]

i want there pieces

[@MrQwerty2524]

Who is hitting the fucking gong?!

[@drahtseilakt]

Actually, there are no bells in chess. In chess every player has a specific amount of time, depending on the format (classical time-control, blitz, rapid, etc.) and the players must hit a button that will stop their time after they made a move. So there's no time-limit per move, just a limit for all moves.

[@robertf5307]

The black stones are being playing ridiculously. 👎🏻

[@LawlFrank]

This is the world championship? What, are they the only two living players? This guy makes horrible moves... Edit: Maybe they are parent of kids that are participating?

[@MrPleers]

Well, compared to chess, go or even draughts, the number of players in the world are probable very limited.

[@johnparinellojr.2035]

Are you sure this is a championship match ? This guy plays as bad as I do. There's way too much noise I keep expecting to hear AC/DCs hells bells start playing.