Capture the Flag

Lore & Background

Rules for Capture the Flag appear in 1860 in the German gymnastic manual Lehr- und Handbuch der deutschen Turnkunst by Wilhelm Lübeck under the name Fahnenbarlauf. In the 19th century, it was considered a variation of the European game Barlaufen. Descriptions in English appeared in the early 20th century, e.g., in 'Scouting for Boys' (1908) by Robert Baden-Powell under the title 'Flag Raiding', and in the 1920 Edition of 'The Official Handbook for Boys' by the Boy Scouts of America.

Reader's Guide

The playing field is divided into two territories. Each team has a flag, usually a piece of fabric, placed at the rear of their territory. Players venture into the opposing team's territory to grab the flag and return with it to their own territory without being tagged. Within their own territory players are safe; once they cross into the opposing territory they are vulnerable to tagging. Rules for jail and flag handling vary. The game is won when a player returns to their own territory with the enemy flag.

Did You Know?

• The flag may be hidden in a place where it can only be seen from certain angles.
• In some variants, the flag can be thrown to teammates as long as it does not hit the ground.
• A similar game called 'Stealing sticks' is played in the British Isles, the United States, and Australia.
• In computer security, Capture the Flag involves hiding 'flags' in vulnerable programs or websites.