Ficheall

Alternate Names

Fitchneal, Fidchell, Gwyddbwyll (Welsh). The names are sometimes translated into English as "Wood Wisdom"

No. of Players

Two

Equipment

The Mabinogion describes two people playing at a silver board with pieces of gold. In Cormac's Glossary, the fidchell is four-cornered, its squares are right-angled and black and white men are on it(2).

History

Fidchell is mentioned in the Irish romances and in Cormac's Glossary (9th century CE). Irish legends say Fidchell was invented by Lugh, the god of light and inspiration, and was played skillfully by his son, the hero Cú Chulainn as well as many other royals and deities. A series of fidchell games forms an important episode in Tochmarc Étaíne.

Gwyddbwyll is mentioned several times in the Mabinogion. In one instance, the character Peredur encounters a magic Gwyddbwyll board with the pieces playing against each other, by themselves. When the side he favored lost the game he became angry, took the board, and flung it into a lake. In another instance, the game is played by King Arthur and Owain mab Urien with golden pieces on a silver board. It has been speculated to be an Irish/Welsh version of a Tafl Game, but is increasingly favored to be the same as or similar to the game described here as Petteia and Latrunculi. Latrunculi, popular in the Roman empire, could have easily spread to the British Isles during Roman occupation.

Objective

Unknown

Play

Unknown

Sources

  1. Fidchell at Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidchell

  2. Murray, H.J.R. A History of Board Games other than Chess. Oxford University Press, 1952.