Brandub is the Irish member of the tafl family — the "king's table" games of early medieval northern Europe — free to play online against the computer with no download and no sign-up. It is the smallest tafl there is: a seven-by-seven board, eight attackers standing two deep on each edge, and four defenders in a cross around a king on the central throne. Every piece slides like a chess rook and nothing jumps. A piece is taken by being sandwiched between two enemies, and the king himself is taken the same way — by just two attackers, unless he is on or beside his throne. The king side wins by getting him to any corner. A game lasts a few minutes, it fits a phone screen, and you can play either side against five computer opponents, from a Novice to a Master that reads up to six moves ahead, with hints, undo and saved games.
How to play Brandub
- Choose a side under the board: Play the king (the four pale defenders and the crowned king on the central throne) or Play attackers (the eight dark pieces on the edges). Your first game gives you the king. The attackers always move first.
- On your turn, tap one of your pieces and every square it can reach glows. Tap a glowing square to slide there — or drag the piece. Pieces move like a chess rook: any distance in a straight line, never jumping another piece.
- Only the king may stop on the throne or on a corner. Any piece may slide straight over the throne while it is empty.
- Take an enemy piece by sandwiching it: move so it sits between your moving piece and another of yours, a corner, or the empty throne. Walking into a gap between two enemies is safe — the trap has to be closed by the side that moves. The king fights too: he can be either half of a sandwich.
- The king is taken like any other piece, by two attackers (or one and a corner) either side of him — except on his throne, where it takes attackers on all four sides, and beside it, where it takes attackers on the other three.
- The king side wins the moment the king reaches a corner. The attackers win by taking him. A side left with no legal move loses.
- The same position coming round a third time with the same side to move is a draw, and so is 40 moves each without a capture.
- Beat an opponent, from either side, to unlock the next one. Hint shows the Master's choice of move; Undo takes back your last move and the computer's reply.
Tips
- As the king side, open a line before you move the king. A king with two corners in sight cannot be stopped, because one attacker move blocks only one line.
- As the attackers, guard the corners rather than chasing the king. A piece standing between him and the rim does more than one standing next to him.
- Never park an attacker on a square next to a corner unless it is protected: the corner counts as an enemy, so one defender on the far side takes it.
- The king is a fighter. Use him as the second half of a sandwich — the attackers often forget he can capture.
- Get the king off the throne early. On it he needs four attackers to be taken, but he cannot run from there either, and the empty throne then helps your side capture as well as theirs.
- Count before you trade. The king side starts with four men against eight, so swapping one for one helps the attackers more than it looks.
- Use Hint when you are stuck: it is the Master thinking for you, and it says when a position is already won or lost by force.
FAQ
Is Brandub free to play online?
Yes. Brandub is free to play in your browser with no download, no account and no in-game purchases. Your progress and any unfinished game are saved on your own device.
What is Brandub?
An Irish board game of the tafl family, the Norse and Celtic "king's table" games in which a king and a few defenders face an army twice their size. The name is usually translated as "black raven". A wooden board with seven rows of seven holes, found at Ballinderry in Ireland and dated to around the tenth century, is usually taken to be a Brandub board. No complete rules survive, so every modern Brandub, this one included, plays a reconstruction.
How do you win at Brandub?
It depends on your side. The king side wins by moving the king onto any of the four corner squares. The attackers win by taking the king. Either side also wins if the other is left with no legal move.
How is the king captured in Brandub?
Here the king is taken like any other piece — sandwiched between two attackers in a line, or between one attacker and a corner — as long as he is away from the throne. On the throne the attackers need all four sides; on a square beside the throne they need the other three. Only an attacker that has just moved can complete the capture.
Which side is easier in Brandub?
The king side, by a long way. Measured with one computer player taking both sides from random first moves, the Expert won 44 of 100 games as the king side and 16 as the attackers, with 40 draws; the Master won 26 of 40 as the king side and 7 as the attackers. The attackers have to read further ahead to stop a fork than the king needs to make one, so start with the king and try the attackers once you can win.
How strong is the computer?
Each pairing of levels was measured over hundreds of computer-against-computer games from random first moves, each opening played twice with the sides swapped. The Novice scores 50% against a player who only takes what is in front of it; after that every level outscores the one below it — the Apprentice 83% against the Novice, the Player 78% against the Apprentice, the Expert 64% against the Player, and the Master, which reads up to six moves ahead, 63% against the Expert, winning 96 games to 45 with 59 draws.
How is Brandub different from Hnefatafl and Tablut?
They are bigger relatives with the same idea. Hnefatafl is played on an 11×11 board with 24 attackers against 12 defenders and a king, and on this site its king can only be taken by being surrounded. Tablut, the 9×9 game Carl Linnaeus recorded in Lapland in 1732, usually lets the king escape to any edge square. Brandub is the 7×7 version — eight attackers against four defenders — with corner escape and a king two attackers can take away from his throne, so a game takes minutes rather than an hour.
Does Brandub work on phones?
Yes. The board is small enough to fit an upright phone with the controls underneath; tap to pick a piece and tap where it should go, or drag it with your finger. On a computer the arrow keys move around the board and Enter plays, H asks for a hint, U takes back a move and N starts a new game.
Can a Brandub game end in a draw?
Yes. A game is drawn when the same position comes round a third time with the same side to move, or after 40 moves each with no capture. Draws are common between careful players: the Master and the Expert drew 59 of their 200 measured games.