Hnefatafl to be Featured on Countryfile

Sunday, 14th July 2013

Tonight's eposide of the BBC's Countryfile programme goes to Shetland. The programme's official summary says that the presenters will be meeting seaweed farmers, but possibly more exciting is the report on Fetlar's web site that they will also be featuring hnefatafl. From their web page on the programme:

"Which board game is older than chess, was played by the Vikings, and has a bizarre spelling? It's Hnefatafl and the World Championships are set to take place on the small island of Fetlar. The rules of the game were lost in the midst of time until locals decided to standardise them in 2007. Ellie gets a quick lesson before going head to head with a grandmaster. Can she win this age-old Viking battle?"

Countryfile is a programme about the people, places and stories making news in the British countryside. It is broadcast on Sundays in the UK at 8:00 p.m. You can see its web site at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t0bv