1. To start you need a Tawlbwrdd game board. Tawlbwrdd is played on a standart board of 11 squares by 11, but a game board of 9 rows of 9 squares can also be used.

2. One player has the king and 12 defenders. The other player has 24 attackers.

3. The king is placed in the centre of the board, his defenders are placed around him and the attackers are placed at the edge of the board.

4. The attackers make their move first.

1. The gameboard of Tawlbwrdd.

2. You can capture two or three pieces at once by so surrounding them.

3. Although it is not possible to capture a row of pieces.

4. A piece may not land on another piece, nor may it leap over a piece.

1. The defending player wins the game by moving the king to any square that is on the edge of the board.

2. The attacking player wins if they are able to capture the king.

1. In his turn a player may move a piece across the board by any number of spaces in a straight line, horizontally or vertically.

2. The king moves in the same way as the other pieces.

3. An enemy piece is captured by surrounding it on two opposite sides, horizontally or vertically. That piece is then removed from the board.

1. In early Welsh tales, like those in the Mabinogion, a game called gwyddbwyll is frequently mentioned. The name means "wood sense", like the Irish fithcheall. In time, gwyddbwyll gave way to the game of tawlbwrdd. In the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, dating before 1250, costings are given for a game with a king, eight defenders and sixteen attackers.

2. By the 16th century the game had lost its central status in Welsh society. But as if in compensation it had increased in size, now having 12 defenders for the king, and 24 attackers. In 1587 it was described as a kind of curiosity in a manuscript by Robert ap Ifan, who gave us a partial set of rules.

3. This game was brought back to life in the 20th century. In the 21st century a study of the remaining historical material, and some cross-reference with the similar game of tablut for which more complete documentation survives, has resulted in a credible reconstruction.