“My next several hours were spent learning how to play tak. Even if I had not been nearly mad with idleness, I would have enjoyed it. Tak is the best sort of game: simple in its rules, complex in its strategy. Bredon beat me handily in all five games we played, but I am proud to say that he never beat me the same way twice.” -Kvothe
That’s how Patrick Rothfuss introduces TAK, an elegant two-player strategy game, in his book The Wise Man’s Fear. But the rules are not given in the book, because at the time there were no rules. Now James Ernest and Patrick Rothfuss have worked together to create a set of rules for TAK, and they’ve created a truly beautiful game.
Printable Elements for TAK:
- Rules (PDF, 6 MB)
- 4×4 Board (PDF, 447 KB)
- 5×5 Board (PDF, 664 KB)
- 6×6 Board (PDF, 1.42 MB)
- 6×6 Hybrid Board (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- 5×5 Hybrid Board (PDF, 737 KB)
Several TAK fans were kind enough to translate the rules into different languages:
- Tak Règles en Français (French) (PDF, 427 KB)
- Tak-Regeln auf Deutsch (German) (PDF, 874 KB)
- Tak Rules (Turkish) (PDF, 6 MB)
- טאק – חוקי המשחק, עכשיו בעברית (Hebrew) (PDF, 617 KB)
- Regolamento Italiano (Italian) (PDF, 791 KB)
- Reglas En Español (Spanish) (PDF, 771.99 KB)
- Tak Regras Português (Portuguese) (PDF, 1 MB)
- Tak Rules (Japanese) (PDF, 9 MB)
You will also need some pieces for the game. In a pinch you can use checkers, with a crown representing that the stone is standing up. If you have a good source of wooden squares, get some that are about 1″ square and 3/8″ thick. Just about anything can be used as a capstone.
We’re proud to offer games absolutely free for you to try. If you like them, when and if you’re able, throw us a donation. Check out “How much should I donate?” for guidance.
Enjoy!