Takes (CleverGoat)
Rate itCapture pieces until only one is left, in a daily chess solitaire.
on takes.clevergoat.com
Takes is CleverGoat's daily solitaire chess puzzle. A few pieces sit on a small board, every move must be a capture, and you keep capturing until only one piece remains; if there is a king, it must make the final capture. There are puzzles at three levels each day, plus an Expert one.
About Takes (CleverGoat)
Takes is the chess game in the CleverGoat family of daily puzzles, which also includes Flipple, Categories, Stacked, CrossHerd and Word Grid. It was introduced on Hacker News by one of its creators, and each day's set carries a game number: Game #274 was up on 18 October 2026.
The board is a small 4x4 square holding a handful of pieces. Each piece moves as in normal chess, and pawns capture diagonally, but every move must be a capture: you drag one piece onto another to take it. You keep going until a single piece remains. If a king is on the board it can never be captured and must make the last capture itself, though it may capture more than once along the way. Undo, a limited number of hints and a restart button help when a line goes wrong, and a timer runs as you play.
Each day brings puzzles at Easy, Medium and Hard, and finishing them unlocks an Expert puzzle. Prev day and Next day buttons let you go back to earlier days. Takes plays in the browser on a desktop or a phone without an account, and inside the CleverGoat app for iOS and Android. The web version shows ads, which a paid option removes.
It suits chess players who like tactics, and puzzle fans who know ThinkFun's Solitaire Chess.
How to play Takes (CleverGoat)
- Choose the day's Easy, Medium or Hard puzzle.
- Drag a piece onto another to capture it; every move must be a capture.
- Move pieces as in chess; pawns capture diagonally.
- Never capture the king; it must make the final capture.
- Leave exactly one piece to solve the puzzle, then move on to the next one.
- Finish the levels to unlock the Expert puzzle.
Screenshots
Tips
- Work out which piece must be last, then plan backwards.
- Use pieces with few capture options early before they get stranded.
- Use undo freely to test lines.
Questions
How many puzzles are there each day?
Puzzles at Easy, Medium and Hard, each level a short run of boards, plus an Expert puzzle once you finish them.
Can the king be captured?
No. If there is a king, it must make the final capture, and it may make other captures before that.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes. The Prev day button opens the puzzles of earlier days.
Where can I play?
In the browser on a desktop or phone, or in the CleverGoat app for iOS and Android.
Ratings and reviews
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