Are Chess Players Related to the Vikings?

Found this interesting article today:

Vikings believed that their dead played board games on their way to the afterlife

"London, June 30: Archaeologists have excavated 23 rare amber gaming pieces from a Viking boat grave in Sweden, which indicates that the Vikings believed that their dead played board games on their way to the afterlife.

According to a report in Chester Chronicle, Dr Martin Rundkvist, Dr Howard Williams from the University of Chester, and the archaeological dig team excavated a boat-grave dating back to the 9th century AD at Skamby in Ostergotland, in South Sweden.

The excavation uncovered 23 very rare amber gaming pieces, which illustrates the lifestyle of the family buried there, as well as their pagan beliefs in relation to the afterlife."

But this part is what especially caught my attention:

"'They also tell us that playing board-games, a popular pastime among the Viking warrior elite, was something the dead were believed to do, perhaps on their way to the afterlife,' he added."

Does this mean chess players are the heirs of the Viking legacy?

Digging a little deeper, I did discover that Vikings had a chess-like game called Hnefatalf:

 From the Artic Studies Center:

"What kinds of games did the Vikings play?
The Vikings played a lot of card and board games, especially during the winter. One of the games Vikings used to play is a board game called Hnefatafl which means "king's board or game" in Old Norse. This chess-like game of strategy simulated a Viking raid and the object of the game was to trap the King's piece."

 For some reason, I never imagined that some of the world's toughest warriors would be such fans of board games!

This is a cool find, Rooks. I've seen a Hnefatafl board and it look really exciting to try. You either play as four surrounding armies or one central army, which adds a really cool flavor to it. I was about to go find a picture of it to post here, but it's been posted before, and I'm sure a cursory search of the threads might find another Hnefatafl thread.

Oh, and it's also cool how chess/board games might become associated with the afterlife - we're all familiar with the idea of playing a game of chess with the Devil in the western tradition as well. Perhaps something to do with seeing life from above, objective and callously? Hmm. 

More like Erik The Red!

Amiright folks?

I always thought the vikings only played Warhammer....

Anybody have a chess game they want to post that demonstrates the viking in them?  

Okay, I'll go first.

My opponent played well and kept me on my toes for most of the game.  He only made two real mistakes: instead of 27.Be3, he should have pressed on and killed my rook with 27.Bxf8.  And, lastly, his failure to spot the bank rank mate. If it wasn't for those two fatal mistakes, the game might have ended differently.  Alas, the Viking in me prevented me from offering a truce.  Instead, my beserker bloodlust forced me to take his king's head!