Tafl: A Defending Strategy
White's chief strategy against a black enclosure is to stop it happening. This must be done with vigilance when the enclosure is still incomplete, as shown in the diagram. Some moves are shown which can prevent a complete enclosure; three of the white pieces are still able to break out. Pieces outside the enclosure would then be able to sit behind the enemy lines, and take part in captures with pieces still inside. Even in cases where a piece breaking out would be liable to immediate capture (such as F3-I3), such a capture would force black to further disintegrate the carefully planned enclosure. As well as breaking free completely, it is also possible to hold open the enclosure by occupying squares such as those marked here in red. You can test these strategies out by playing against a friend on the applet on the next page.
Applet