Tafl

Family of asymmetric Norse strategy games — a king and defenders must escape, attackers must trap them.

🌤indoor

What is Tafl?

Tafl is a family of Germanic and Scandinavian strategy games played across Northern Europe from before the Viking era until roughly the 12th century, when chess supplanted it. The board is a square grid with one player commanding a king and defenders in the centre, the other twice as many attackers around the edges. The king wins by reaching a corner; attackers win by surrounding him.

Quick facts

Category

Board Games

Type

Individual

Players

2–2

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇸🇪 Sweden

Estimated origin

Northern Europe, pre-Viking era

Olympic

No

Popularity

niche

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified