is a wooden board with Celtic symbols on it, with a seven-by-seven grid, marked off by 49 holes. This artefact may be a variant, and perhaps even a board; many commentators assume that it is the type of board upon which one would have played . Based on the assumption that the Ballinderry board represented fidchell, some recent tafl board reconstructions and apps have given the name of "fitchneal" to a particular 7x7 tafl arrangement (see image), which has extended the confusion. Historically, games, especially , were often played with a die, made of a sheep's knucklebone, and this feature seems absent in . In Wales, a clear distinction is made between and , which, if also true of Ireland, would tend to indicate a similar distinction between and . Historical impact , as described in the legends, often has a mystical or divinatory aspect to it. Battles ebb and flow as a result of the ebb and flow of a game of , games play themselves, great events are decided on the outcome of a match. This supernatural aspect is not as clearly reflected in the games. There is clear archaeological and textual evidence that a variant was played in Ireland in ancient times; however, this is more likely to have been the game of brandub, which had a king piece. Fidchell was played with equal forces, and so was not a form of tafl. See also games Druid of Colchester References Bibliography External links Rules and boards — a very clear set of Fitchneal rules. — suggested by some scholars to be a Fidchell game. — information about Fitchneal and other ancient Irish games. — includes a Fitchneal game, although it uses a different board layout Computer versions — a Macromedia Shockwave version — a Fitchneal widget for the Mac OS‑X dashboard Abstract strategy games Ancient Ireland Irish mythology Welsh mythology br:Gwezboell cy:Gwyddbwyll#Gwyddbwyll Geltaidd