Tawlbwrdd

How to play

"Throw-board" — the grand Welsh tafl on a broad 11×11 field, king and twelve defenders against twenty-four besiegers. The same rook-slides and sandwiching captures as its cousins, but with room for sweeping manoeuvres and long feints.

Rules

  • You play the defenders; the besiegers (AI) move first.
  • Tap the king or a defender, then a highlighted square to slide it there in a straight line — only the king may rest on the throne or the four corners.
  • Trap an enemy between two of your pieces (a corner or the empty throne counts as one side of the trap) to capture it.
  • Escort the king to any of the four corners to win; the host wins if it pens and captures him.

Tips

On so large a board the host cannot cover everything. Feint toward one corner to draw raiders across, then swing the king the other way. Keep two defenders near the king as portable capturing partners for the final breakout.