Ἔ 3|5 Solo Hnefatafl 2 n 1 ἐ # s Ī Ā =Off
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Although it may first look incredibly unbalanced, the game is pretty balanced by itself but remains massively imbalanced nevertheless. The main advantage of red over blue is the presence of royal piece, and the ability to win via king-of-the-hill. One minor strength of red is the ability to prolong the game by 100 moves. Red's strength is in the numbers, while blue's strength is in mobility. Wazir is thought to be worth 1 point, ferz is thought to be worth 2 points and the rook is thought to be worth 3 points. The only strategy for red is to build a bridge for its royal piece to the hill. Blue has an extra point as a starting advantage, so blue must prevent red from getting KOTH. Blue may employ a number of strategies to avoid it, two main strategies being: blitzkrieg and blockade. In blitzkrieg, blue aims to initiate an exchange of a rook for two pieces a lot, while in blockade blue just attempts to outlast red and deprive him of making progress. The fewer pieces are on the board, the more powerful the blue is. Whilst an exchange of rook for two wazirs will usually mean red wins with perfect play, exchange of a rook for two ferzes implies a win for blue with perfect play.
