Fidchell

Fidchell (also called fidhcheall, fidceall, or fithchill; pronounced /ˈfɪðʲˌçɛll/ in Old Irish) is a board game from Early Ireland which is often compared to, but distinct from, chess. It is often linked to the Irish province of Munster.^{[citation needed]}

History

Fidchell, or Celtic chess, is a game played in ancient Ireland at least 2,000 and perhaps 2,500 years ago. It is very similar to the Welsh game of gwyddbwyll. Both names translate as “wooden wisdom” or something similar.

Fidchell is mentioned quite often in ancient Celtic legends and lore, but the exact form of the game is open to speculation, due to the lack of detail on the rules, playing pieces, and even the board, to some extent. This much is clear, it was played on a board, with opposing sets of pieces, and unlike modern chess, involved a king in the center, with his defensive pieces protecting him from attacks by his opponent.^{[citation needed]}

The legends describe fidchell as a game played by royalty, and even the gods, as it was supposed to have been invented by Lugh, the Irish god of light,^[1] and was played very skillfully by his son, the hero Cuchullainn. A series of fidchell games also forms an important episode in Tochmarc Étaíne.

Gameplay

As often as fidchell is mentioned in legend and myth, however, we are still largely in the dark about exactly how it was played. There are two main theories regarding the rules and board layout of fidchell. The first, and most common, is that fidchell is a variant of the Welsh game tawlbwrdd, itself descended from the Norse tafl games. These games, along with the Irish brandub, are played on a grid, often seven squares by seven, with the king in the middle. The king has a number of defending pieces around him at the beginning of the game, and they are surrounded by twice as many attackers. The object is to make a clear path for the king to the edge of the board, while the attackers must attempt to surround, and thereby capture, the king. In a Scottish variant, the king must get through the attackers to one of the corner spots in order to win.

This theory is supported by an artifact found in Balinderry, Ireland, consisting of a wooden board with a seven by seven grid, marked off by holes similar to those found in a cribbage board, which has Celtic symbols on it. This artifact is almost certainly a tafl variant, and perhaps even a Brandub board, and most commentators assume that it is the type of board upon which one would have played fidchell. Reconstructions of probable rules proceed from there.

However, there are a few difficulties with this commonly accepted view. First, the tafl variants are usually played with unequal numbers of pieces, the attackers being twice as numerous as the defenders. Fidchell seems almost certainly to have been played with equal numbers on both sides. Secondly, the tafl games, especially tawl-bwrdd, were often played with a die, made of a sheep’s knucklebone, and this feature seems conspicuously absent in fidchell. In fact, in Wales, there is a clear distinction between tawlbwrdd and gwyddbwyll, which, if carried across to Ireland, would tend to indicate a similar distinction between fidchell and brandub.

Historical impact

In addition, fidchell, as described in the legends, often has a mystical or divinatory aspect to it. Battles ebb and flow as a result of the ebb and flow of a game of fidchell, games play themselves, great events are decided on the outcome of a fidchell match, and so on. This supernatural aspect is not as clearly reflected in the tafl games.

There is clear archaeological and textual evidence that a tafl variant was played in Ireland in ancient times. What is not quite as certain is that this game was fidchell, as mentioned so often in myth and legend.

References

^ Macalister, R. A. Stewart. Lebor Gabála Érenn. Part IV. Irish Texts Society, Dublin, 1941. § VII, First Redaction, ¶ 316.

Web Sites:

Books

Celtic Heritage, Alwin & Brinley Rees, Thames and Hudson. 1961.
Early Irish Myths and Sagas trans. Jeffrey Gantz, Penguin Classics. 1981.
The Quest for Merlin, Nikolai Tolstoy, Hamish Hamilton. 1985.
Games of the Gods, Nigel Pennick Rider. 1988.

[1] Macalister, R. A. Stewart. Lebor Gabála Érenn. Part IV. Irish Texts Society, Dublin, 1941. § VII, First Redaction, ¶ 316.

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