Description

Svenskt brädspel (Swedish Tables), more commonly known as just Brädspel or Bräde, is a Backgammon relative native to Sweden. It's the last surviving member of the 17th-century Verkehren/Revertier family of games, that mainly differ from Backgammon in forbidding the closing of the first eleven points - making it possible to win by "locking out" one's opponent, called jan in the Swedish terminology. Brädspel adds to Verkehren a third objective - arranging one's pieces in one of four preset patterns - and rules for hitting a closed point under special circumstances.

A Brädspel table was brought aboard the warship Vasa on her ill-fated maiden voyage in 1628. When the ship was salvaged in 1961, that board rekindled interest in the game, helping it survive where other Verkehren games died out. Today, the game is governed by the Swedish Tables Association of the Vasa Museum, which holds annual championships right next to old Vasa.

RULES:
(Slight variants may exist. These rules are based on the (lengthier, complete) rules used in the Swedish Championships.)

The game consists of a board (similar to a backgammon board), 15 checkers (game pieces) each of two colours for a total of 30 pieces, and 2 regular dice.
A full match is usually played as best out of a predetermined odd number of games. Winning a single game gives 1-4 points as described below.

The fields are called tongues and are numbered from 1-24 for each player, starting with 1 at the top right tongue as seen from the player, and going counterclockwise around the board with 24 in the lower right corner. Tongue number 1 is called a player’s ”home” and number 12 is referred to as "huk". Fields 1-6 constitute the first quarter, 7-12 the second, 13-18 the third, and 19-24 the fourth.

Preparations: Each player choses one color and places all his/her 15 checkers on his/her home tongue in the upper, right corner. The starting order for the first game is determined by rolling one die each after which the player with the lowest result goes first. In consecutive games the loser of the previous game starts.

Gameplay:
The players take turns throwing the dice and (if possible) moving their pieces. The game pieces are moved counter-clockwise according to the dice. If a player is able to make a move it is obligatory to do so. If only one die can be used it is mandatory to do so. The player can choose to move the same piece for both dice or move a different piece for each die. If moving the same piece for both dice it is forbidden to add up the the numbers and land immediately on the field corresponding to the sum. The piece has to be moved first according to either of the dice and then according to the other. If both dice show the same number they are counted double, e.g. if two fives are thrown the player moves 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 steps and the player can distribute these four moves freely on 1-4 game pieces.

There must never be game pieces of opposite colors on the same tongue. A player may have no more than one game piece each on tongues nr 2-11, and once the home has been reduced to one game piece the same applies to that field. On tongues 12-24 the number of the player's own game pieces is unlimited. If a game piece lands on a tongue with a single opponent piece, that piece is ”beaten,” meaning that it is temporarily taken out and has to re-enter the game by landing on a tongue in the first quarter that is either vacant or has a single piece of the opponent’s colour. (See exception under blasting – b below) No other moves are allowed for a player with one or more beaten pieces until they are all back in play.

Two or more pieces of the same colour on a tongue are referred to as bands. A game piece may normally not land on one of the opponent's bands. (Exception explained under ”blasting” a-b below.)

Blasting:
Though it is not normally allowed to land on a field containing a band of the opposite colour there are two exceptions. Beating more than one piece at once like this is called blasting.
a) If a player has bands on six or more consequtive fields the opponent may beat all the pieces on one of these fields by landing on it.
b) If the opponent has bands in a player’s first quarter and the player’s only opportunity to get all his beaten pieces back into play is by landing on one or more of the opponent’s bands he is allowed to do so, blasting the opponent’s pieces.
If a player has exited all pieces but one from the game it is no longer allowed to blast with that last piece.

Winning conditions:
There are several different winning conditions (five if counted as below) plus the possibility for a player to surrender a game. A surrendered game gives one point to the winner. A player can surrender at any time as long as he has not yet formed any band in his third or fourth quarter. After doing so surrendering is no longer allowed, even if the band(s) has/have since been broken.

1. "Home play" Exiting the board with all 15 checkers. (1 point for winner)
Once all of a player’s pieces are in the fourth quarter he can start taking them out of the game by throwing at least the number required to reach an imaginary 25th tongue. (If a piece is beaten at this stage it has to re-enter and move all the way into the fourth quarter before any furher pieces of that colour can exit.)

2 ”Beautiful game” (1 point for winner)
There are four different winning conditions referred to as "beautiful game" which are all obtained by arranging the game pieces in specific patterns in the fourth quarter. They all give one point to the winner. Both dice must be counted, i.e. a player can not win this way by only moving for one of the two numbers thrown. However, if a player can win through ”beautiful game” by casting one die only he may chose to do so. In case of failiure he may only cast one die on each of his two following turns. The four variants of beautiful game are:
2a. Three pieces each on tongues 20-24
2b. Five pieces each on tongues 22-24
2c. Three pieces on tongue 22, five pieces on tonge 23, and seven pieces on tongue 24
2d. All fifteen pieces on tongue 24.

3. "Monk" (2 points for winner)
3a) ”Homeplay with monk" Winning by homeplay while the opponent has at least one beaten checker not yet back into gameplay.
3b) "Beautiful game with monk" Winning by beautiful game while the opponent has at least one beaten checker not yet back into gameplay.

4. "Jan" (2 points for winner)
If a player beats more of the opponent’s pieces than can possibly re-enter the game (due to a lack of available tongues in the first quarter) that player wins the game. This is called ”making the opponent Jan”

5. "Blast-Jan" (4 points for winner)
Making the opponent Jan by blasting a band.