Play Pawn Takes King

The smallest piece on the board picks up a sword.

Free on iPhone in the Roam app. Android coming soon.

The board is huge, red and black, and every black piece on it wants your pawn gone. Pawn Takes King is a chess piece fighting game that skips the turns: you step square to square, raise a shield and swing a sword in real time. Capture all 14 pieces to clear the board, and drink a potion when your health bar dips. You play it in the Roam app on iPhone, and the fight starts with your first swipe.

Moving, blocking and capturing

Drag on the left side or swipe to step one square at a time.
Tap the red sword button to strike the piece in front of you.
Raise the shield when a black pawn swings back.
Drink from the flask button when the red bar runs low; the badge shows how many potions are left.
Clear the board by capturing all 14 pieces, tracked under your health bar.

What sets the board apart

A marble chessboard the size of an arena, with squares outlined in glowing red.
Real-time sword and shield combat instead of turn-based moves.
A dodge button for slipping out of a crowded rank.
A timer and a score, so every cleared board can be done faster.

A chess piece fighting game, not a chess puzzle

Chess still shapes the fight. You move in squares, the enemy stands in ranks, and the goal reads like a capture count. Nobody waits for their turn, though. Black pawns close in while you are still lining up a swing, so where you stand matters as much as when you strike.

If you know chess, you will read the board faster and spot where a gap opens between pieces. If you do not, it plays as a clean arena brawler with a striking look: gold pillars, a red sky and a board that runs to the horizon.

Tips for your first board

Do not charge into the middle. Pull pieces toward you one or two at a time, block the first swing, then hit back while they recover.

Save potions for the last few captures, when more pieces crowd around you. Keep an eye on the squares outlined in red, and use the dodge to step out of a ring of enemies before it closes.

Pawn Takes King FAQ

Is Pawn Takes King turn-based like normal chess?

No. Everything happens in real time. You still move square by square on a chessboard, but enemy pieces attack while you move, so you block, dodge and strike as it happens.

How many pieces do you need to capture?

Fourteen. The counter under your health bar shows how many you have taken, and the board is clear at 14 of 14.

Can I play Pawn Takes King for free on iPhone?

Yes. It costs nothing in the Roam app, and Roam itself is free on iPhone. Get it from the App Store and the board is ready.

Is there a chess game where the pieces actually fight?

Pawn Takes King is a chess piece fighting game of exactly that kind. You control a white pawn with a sword and shield on a 3D board, inside the free Roam app.

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Play Pawn Takes King free in the Roam app.