How Many Ravens Can Dance on the Head of a…Peg? Brandubh and Other Medieval Board Games

Walking past a park in New York, you may see the familiar sight of a chess player engaged in a game on a park table. In Central Park, we even have the Chess & Checkers House, built in 1952 near 64th Street and hidden away in the foliage. This tradition has charmed New Yorkers for decades, breaking the boundaries of language and connecting many immigrant communities.

Chess and similar games come from many different cultures, with their most notable roots in China and Persia. But did you know that these board games (or pin games, as they once were) also have an Irish history?

In our archival collections, we have one such board game, reconstructed by Malachi McCormick in 1983. The game, called “Brandubh” or “Black Raven,” dates back to the 7th century and is a type of tafl game. Tafl (Old Norse for table) games were found throughout Northern Europe, making their way to Ireland from Scandinavia.

Malachi McCormick’s Brandubh, from 1983.

In ancient Ireland, these games were used not only for pleasure but for the development of strategy in a time were battles were frequent and violent. Much like modern chess, the game involves a tactical pursuit of one team by another. Though the rules have not been attested in full, the game seems to function with roles assigned to its pieces, using a chief rather than a king or queen. A sample of suspected rules can be found here. A similar game known as fidchell (essentially, wood-wisdom) functions with related tactics, although likely more Roman origins.

Unsurprisingly, these games are associated with those most interested in battle strategy that goes beyond the board. Though it is difficult to find primary sources on the lives on the ancient Celts, these games are mentioned not infrequently in the medieval retellings of ancient Ireland, especially in epic stories and poetry.

In the Ulster Cycle’s Táin Bó Cúailnge (Eng: The Cattle Raid of Cooley), some translations show King Conchobar of Ulster playing Fidchell, while others connect it to Cú Chulainn in his childhood or King Ailill and Queen Medb as part of their battle-planning. In any case, these games are associated with those who are most likely to benefit from a study of cunning strategy.

Malachi McCormick’s edition is crafted for those who are more casually interested, although battle planners are welcome to learn from it as well. His board was designed using combined scholarship on the game, that has developed an understanding of its rules from poetry, stories, and tested game plays. The game features a peg board and pegs for both teams, in green and orange.

McCormick’s board.

The Ballinderry Game Board (Brandubh board found in 1932 in Ballinderry, West Meath, Ireland). Photo by James J. Bond, board housed at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin (2015-07-22).

This game, with its accompanying book, allows modern audiences to reconnect with their ancient roots by playing a game that has traveled time to find its place in our collections. But with little speaking needed to play these board games, their strategies go beyond all national borders, making the ruthless strategy possible regardless of where you find them. So, the next time you walk past a chess board, imagine yourself among warriors!