1. A 7x7 board is needed.

2. Place 13 pieces on the board following the Rules.

3. The attacking side takes the first move.

1. Brandub is played on a board composed of 7×7 squares, with the central square and the corner squares marked.

2. There are 13 pieces: a king and his four defenders, and eight attackers.

3. The King is placed in the middle and surrounded by the defenders on all of its four sides. The attacking side takes the first move.

4. All pieces move in a straight line for as many empty squares as the player chooses.

5. Pieces connot land or jump over other pieces and they cannot move diagonally.

6. No piece may land on the central square, not even the king once he has left it.

7. Capturing only happens when a piece is moved so that a single opposing piece ends up trapped between two of the players pieces.

8. It is possible to capture more than one piece. The captured piece is removed from the board.

9. The King can take part in captures in partnership with a defender.

10. A piece may also be captured between an enemy and the empty central square or a corner square.

11. When standing beside the central square, the king may be captured by surrounding him on the remaining 3 sides with attackers.

12. The King is the hardest to capture because opposing pieces must surround him on all four sides.

13. Only the King is allowed into the corner squares - and such a move wins the game.

14. The game is drawn if a position is repeated, if a player cannot move, or if the players otherwise agree it.

1. The king wins the game on reaching any of the marked corner squares.

2. The attackers win if they capture the king.

3. The game is draw if a position is repeated, if a player can't move, or if the players otherwise agree to it.

1. All pieces move in a straight line for as many empty squares as the player chooses.

2. The king wins the game when it reaches any of the marked corner squares.

3. The attackers win if they capture the king.

1. The Vikings started raiding Ireland at the end of the 8th century. In the early 9th century the raiders began to spend their winter in Ireland rather than returning to Scandinavian or British bases.

2. By the middle of the 9th century they were making Ireland their home, and establishing Ireland as a base of Viking culture.

3. Some of that culture was passed down to the natives of Ireland, in particular hnefatafl. The game found its way, under the name of brandub, into native stories and poems.

4. One of the most magnificent remaining hnefatafl boards is a brandub board from Ireland. Found in Ballinderry in 1932, the 10th century board has a decorative border, two carved heads as handles, and 7 rows of seven holes for holding pegged pieces. The central and corner holes are marked. The Irish-style decoration suggests this was made for a native Irish owner rather than a Viking.