Brandubh is an traditional Gaelic game that has been played in Ireland for over 1,000 years. In Gaelic, Brandubh means Black Raven. It is relatively simple to learn the game, but can take quite a while to master the game play. This makes it an interesting game for children and adults alike. It is played on a 7 by 7 grid board, Unlike games like chess, both teams have a different number of men, and their end goals are different. Although the official rules of the game were never written down, through various texts and archaeological finds, rules for today’s game play have been pieced together. Included is one version of how to play Brandubh.

Brandubh Equipment

• Brandubh Board
• Tokens: 4 Color A warriors plus 1 Color A king and 8 Color B warriors
• 2 players

Ideas for Tokens

• use wooden spools 3/4 x 5/8 inch
• use pawns and a bishop from a small chess set
• use checkers with a piece of tape on the king
• use tokens from other games in two different colors, with a special token for the king
• use buttons, coins or even small pieces of paper cut to fit game board squares

How to Play Brandubh

Set Up of the Game

Set up as pictured below.

Object of Brandubh

The object for Player A (the player with 4 warriors and the king) is to move his king to any corner

The object for Player B (the player with the 8 warriors) is to capture the king.

To Start the Game

One person holds a single piece in a fist and the other player must guess which hand it is in. If the player guesses right, he can decide if he wishes to be Team A or B. If he losses, the other person decides. A variation is for a player to hold a Team A and a Team B token in his hands. When the other person picks a hand, that determines the teams.

Team B, the attackers, always makes the first move.

At the end of a game, players switch Teams, and this continues to go back and forth.

How Game Pieces Move

All tokens, including the king, move in the same manner. They may move horizontally or vertically on the board, traveling as many spaces as they like in a turn. They may never move diagonally. They are like rooks in chess. Players cannot jump another token and there can only be 1 token in any space. Only the king can inhabit the center square, called the throne, but a token can pass over the throne if the king is not on it.

How to Capture Pieces

To capture another player’s piece, you must surround it on 2 sides. Your tokens must be opposite one another (above and below or right and left of the enemy’s token). It is possible to move your token into a square and capture more than 1 piece at a time. Captured pieces are removed from the board.

It is safe to move one of your pieces between 2 existing enemy pieces without being captured.

Kings can capture just like a warrior and can be captured just like a warrior.

The center square, the throne, and the 4 corner squares can only be occupied by the king. While on the throne, the king can still be captured just like any other square. Also, the 4 corner squares are considered hostile to both teams and act as if they are a player from the enemy’s team. So, if a player is in the square next to the corner square, and an enemy positions itself next to it, they are captured and removed from the board.

How the Game Ends

• If the king is captured, the game is over and Team B wins
• If either player is in a position that he cannot move ANY tokens, the game is over and a tie is called. Note: A player must move a token if a move is possible, even if it costs him the game.
• If both players are repeating the same moves over and over, the game is over and a tie is called.

Rule Variation – More challenging

The following rules make the game more complex. Adults or older children may prefer this additional challenge.

• The Throne is also considered a hostile square like the four corners and a token may be captured between an enemy and the empty center square.
• To capture the king when he is on the throne, he must be surrounded on all four sides.
• If the king is next to the center square, he can be captured by being surrounded my his enemy on the remaining 3 sides.

How to Make A Brandubh Game

Materials Needed

• Copy of Brandubh Board printed on card stock paper
• wooden spools (13) – 3/4 x 5/8 inch (optional)
• paint (optional)
• gold gel pen (optional)

Directions

Print the pattern for the Brandubh Board on card stock paper.

Using acrylic or tempera paint, paint 5 spools color A and 8 spools color B.

After the paint has dried, use a gold gel pen or a permanent marker to decorate one of the color A pieces to make it easily distinguishable. This will be the King.