Gwyddbwyll: an Ancient Cymric board game (Wooden Wisdom)

Synonyms:
Cym: Wooden Wisdom

Gwyddbwyll is a game known from three of the Mabinogion tales: Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig, Peredur fab Efrawg and Breuddwyd Rhonabwy. However, little is revealed of the game itself save that it is played with men on a board and that there is a single king piece. Linguistically Gwyddbwyll is related to the Irish Fidchell in that both words literally mean 'wooden knowledge'. There is also some suggestion that Gwyddbwyll is related to anther game, Tallbwrdd which from a 1587 manuscript by Robert ap Ifan is played on an 11x11 board. In contrast, at least in terms of popular belief gwyddbwyll is played on a 7x7 board. This and the reflection of the game in the external events portaryed in Breuddwyd Rhonabwy where ravens do battle agains men may make gwyddbwyll more similar to the Irish brandubh (black raven).

Though the modern Cymric interpretation of Gwyddbwyll is 'chess', it is evident that the original game was quite different (modern chess being unknown to the Cymry in the thriteenth century). The ancient descriptions make it clear that gwyddbwyll was often played with a pegged board and this may make it similar to the Ballinderry Game Board found in 1932 during the excavation of a "crannog", or lake dwelling at Ballinderry, West Meath, Ireland. The game is played with a king and four princes (or defenders) against eight opponents (or raiders). Though the precise rules are not known it is presumed that they are related to those of Tallbwrdd, with the exception that no die is used in gwyddbwyll. A tentative starting layout for the game and some possible rules are given below.

These images show an empty 7x7 grid and a grid with the pieces in their starting positions. Four of the squares are patterened as they have special significance. The centre square, decorated with a knot motif is the king only square and can only ever be occupied by the king. The four corner squares, bearing the dragon image represent where the king needs to get to to win the game. At the start of the game the king (represented by the larger golden sphere) is located at the centre of the board and is surrounded by four defending princes (light gold). Opposing them are eight attackers (blue) placed along the edges of the board. The king wins by moving from the central space to one of the corners of the board and only the king is allowed to enter the central space at any time. The king loses if the attackers surround him or if all the princes are lost. Capture of the princes or attackers is accomplished by blocking the opponent's piece between two of your own. However a piece can move in between two opposing pieces without being captured. Each piece can only move one orthogonal space at a time (ie only forwards or backwards). If not occupied by the king the centre square counts as an additional 'man' ie any piece (except the king) sandwiched between it and another piece is captured. The king can also be captured at the edge of the board by only three opposing pieces. Wich means that if the attackers are down to only two men the king's side has won by default. A variation I have seen is that if any of the princes (the king's defenders) tarry on one of the marked corner squares for more than three turns then they become 'ar goll yn y coed' (lost in the woods) and are removed from the board. Certainly this would fit in with the 'wood' component in Gwyddbwyll's name. It also goes some way towards negating the advantage that the king and his defenders otherwise have. Also, because of the king's inherent advantage it is the attacker who moves first (and it seems natural for the attacker to advance first and for the king to respond).

The same game is known as Goedhboell in Cornish and Gwezboell in Breton which attests to the game being at least as ancient as the split between these three cultures (c 450CE) which makes the game at least 1550 years old and probably means that it's much older than this.

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