What is King captured by two?
In this variant the king is weaker. Away from the throne he is captured like any other piece: between two attackers on opposite sides, or between an attacker and a corner, when an attacker's move closes the trap. On the throne he still needs attackers on all four sides, and on a square next to the throne three attackers with the throne as the fourth side.
The king can no longer walk boldly among the attackers, and the defenders must escort him. Because a stray king can be lost quickly, this rule is often paired with edge escape, which together give the reading of Linnaeus's tablut found in the modern translations.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Tablut | King captured by two |
|---|---|---|
| Capturing the king away from the throne | Standard TablutAttackers on all four sides; the board edge and the corners count as sides. | King captured by twoTwo attackers on opposite sides, or an attacker and a corner, when an attacker's move closes the trap. |
| On or next to the throne | Standard TablutFour attackers on the throne; three and the throne beside it. | King captured by twoThe same. |
| Boards and other options | Standard TablutEvery board and option in the table setup. | King captured by twoThe king captured by two works on every board with the standard rules. The Copenhagen rules always capture the king on four sides. |
History
In Linnaeus's notes on tablut, written in Lapland in 1732 and published as Lachesis Lapponica, the king is captured like the other pieces, sandwiched between two attackers, except when the throne protects him. The English edition of 1811 rendered the rule as needing four attackers in every case, and that reading shaped many later reconstructions, including the standard rules played here.
The modern translations by John C. Ashton (2007), Nicolas Cartier (2011) and Olli Salmi (2013) returned to the capture by two.