TAKXO

OWN THE TOP.

Every square can be taken. Fill the stack and it’s yours for good.

X

Turn

Player X

10

X 0—0 O

Ready To Play

Rules

Choose the TAKXO rules you want to play. These options are fully supported. Standard TAKXO is 4 × 4 with stacks up to 3 pieces high.

Current Rules 4 × 4 Board · 3 Pieces High · Self-Stacking Allowed · Reveal Off

Game Rules

The board sets the line you need to complete: 3 across on 3 × 3, 4 across on 4 × 4, and 5 across on 5 × 5.

Board Size

Choose how large the board is. 4 × 4 is Standard TAKXO; 3 × 3 is quicker and 5 × 5 creates a longer game.

Stack Limit

The maximum number of pieces a square can hold. When the stack reaches the limit, that square locks.

Self-Stacking

When allowed, you may stack on a square you already control to fill and lock it before your opponent takes it.

Reveal

Optional rule. Once per player, remove the top piece from a stack with at least 2 pieces. The piece underneath becomes the active top piece again.

Match Options

These change the matchup, not the TAKXO rules.

Starting Player

Alternate switches who starts after every game in the same session.

Computer Level

Used only for Vs Computer. Smart is the recommended everyday level.

Experimental Strategy

TAKXO Lab

Standard TAKXO stays simple. The Lab lets you layer on deeper rules one at a time—or combine them when you want a more demanding game. Every option below is playable now and still being tested.

Your TAKXO Foundation 4 × 4 Board · 3 Pieces High

Strategy Ladder

Start with one deeper idea, then add more only when you want it. These are shortcuts; you can still toggle every rule independently below.

No strategy experiments active.

Strategic Depth

Systemic rules designed to create threats, sacrifices, movement, and longer planning horizons—without adding cards or power-up clutter.

Testing

Hold The Line

A completed line is a threat, not an instant win. Your opponent gets one move to break every completed line. If any line survives that response, you win.

Shift

Instead of placing a new piece, move one of your exposed top pieces to another legal square. You may even move out of your own locked stack, reopening it—a deliberate trade of security for mobility. Whatever was underneath becomes active again. If the same position repeats three times, the game is a draw.

Piece Reserve

Requires Shift. With Limited Reserve, each player gets a fixed supply of new pieces. Once they are used, you must Shift pieces already on the board.

Pace & Social

These change how the match feels without changing TAKXO's core board logic.

Testing

Timed Turns

Adds a countdown to every human turn. If time runs out, TAKXO automatically makes a legal move so the game keeps moving.

Team Play

2 vs 2 uses the same board and rules. Turns rotate X Player 1 → O Player 1 → X Player 2 → O Player 2. Each team shares its Reveal and Piece Reserve.

Testing Tools

Diagnostics only. These simulations compare how the same TAKXO rules behave as decision quality increases. They are not a proof of perfect-play balance.

Simulation Style

Random explores the rules without strategy. Tactical sees immediate lines, takes, and defenses. Strategic looks ahead through responses, recognizes Hold The Line threats, and avoids obvious repetition.

Games To Run

100 is recommended. 500 is useful for Random or Tactical runs; Strategic can take longer in high-mobility variants.

Simulation

Reports wins plus the reason for every draw: repetition, a fully locked board, stalemate, or the safety move limit.

Local Test Data

Shows playtest data stored only in this browser: wins, moves, takes, locks, Reveals, Shifts, and Lab combinations used.