Fidchell

"Fidchell" (in Irish; also called "fidhcheall," "fidceall," or "fithchill"; pronounced IPA|/ˈfɪðʲˌçɛll/ in Old Irish) or "gwyddbwyll" (in Welsh) was an ancient Celtic board game. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compound is identical in both languages demonstrates that the name is of extreme antiquity.Bromwich, pp. 262–263.] The game is often compared to or identified with chess, though this is evidently erroneous, as chess was unknown in Europe until the 12th century. The game was played between two people who moved "men" across a board; the board itself shared its name with the game played upon it.

History

"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.Fact|date=November 2007

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, [Macalister, R. A. Stewart. "Lebor Gabála Érenn." Part IV. Irish Texts Society, Dublin, 1941. § VII, First Redaction, ¶ 316.] and was played very skillfully by his son, the hero Cúchulainn. A series of "fidchell" games also forms an important episode in "Tochmarc Étaíne".

Lavish, sometimes mystical "gwyddbwyll" boards appear often in medieval Welsh literature. In "The Dream of Rhonabwy", a prose tale associated with the "Mabinogion", King Arthur and Owain mab Urien play the game with golden men on a silver board. In another prose tale, "The Dream of Macsen Wledig", The character Eudaf is carving men for his golden board when he is visited by the emperor Magnus Maximus. The board of Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio is named as one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain in lists dating from the 15th and 16th centuries; according to the lists the board is gold and the men silver, and the pieces play against each other automatically. A magic "gwyddbwyll" comparable to Gwenddoleu's appears in the Arthurian romance "Peredur son of Efrawg"; a number of French versions of the Holy Grail story feature similar chessboards with self-moving pieces, following the Second Continuation of Chrétien de Troyes' "Perceval, the Story of the Grail", though in these only one side moves, while the hero plays the other.

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.

Notes

References

Books

*Bromwich, Rachel (2006). "Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain". University Of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1386-8.
*"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.

Web sites

* [http://elisaid.antir.com/games/fidchell.htm Irish Fidchell]
* [http://www.unicorngarden.com/fidchell/origins.htm Fidchell: Origins]
* [http://www.historicgames.com/learnmore/fid.html Learn more about Fidchell]
* [http://www.ulyssesinteractive.com/content/games/java/fidchell.html Play Fidchell]
* [http://www.seekermagazine.com/v0499/tongues.html Seeker: Tongues]
* [http://www.historicgames.com/Fitchneal.html See the Ballinderry card]
* [http://www.celticchess.tk The real fidchell]