Enter the whimsical world of Cat's Gambit, a solo chess puzzle from the creators of Macaron and Boba Mahjong! Arrange chess piece cards to outsmart the mischievous Cat-kens and evade checkmate. Can you build the most glorious feline kingdom imaginable?
From the creators of Macaron and Boba Mahjong, we're thrilled to introduce the purr-fect solo game for fans of chess, puzzles, and, of course, cats - Cat's Gambit 2025.
In Cat's Gambit, you'll face off against the cunning Cat-kens (Cat Krakens) as you strategically place chess piece cards on a 4x4 grid. The challenge? Avoid checkmate and outwit your feline foes! With each card played, the tension rises, and every move brings you closer to victory—or defeat. Can you master the game and achieve the highest royal ranking in the kingdom of cats?
"One of the game’s biggest strengths is its simplicity. It comes in a compact little box, making it a great addition to any solo game collection. It takes just two minutes to learn and sets up in seconds—something I truly appreciate in a solo game. I don’t always have a lot of time, so having a game that I can quickly jump into is a huge plus.
The gameplay itself flows smoothly. It’s quick, engaging, and offers just the right amount of thinking without being overwhelming. I could easily enjoy a cup of tea while planning my next move, making it a relaxing yet satisfying challenge." - Karine of Game Changer.
We're excited to partner with Brambletrek – Tales in the Hundred Acre Woods as Pocketopia Cross-Collab Partners! Back both Cat’s Gambit and Brambletrek to unlock exclusive rewards—a Queen's Pouch from us and a Brambletrek pouch from Brambletrek! 🐾♟️🌿
For more details about Pocketopia, click HERE. 🐾♟️🌿
Place the Queen in the center of the table with the 5 Victory Points side facing up.
Randomly select five pawn cards, place them to the side, and return the remaining pawns to the box.
Shuffle two Bishops, two Knights, two Rooks, and four Cat-kens face down to create a draw deck, then place it next to the Queen.
Finally, place the Placement token on top of the draw deck
On your turn, draw a card from the top of the draw deck and place it in an open space from the Placement token, following the movement pattern of the chess piece on the card. Then move the Placement token to the card just placed.
After placing a card from the draw deck, you may place a Pawn in an open space from the Placement token, then move the token onto the Pawn.
Beware of the Cat-ken! When placed in a position where a straight or diagonal line connects to the Queen, it attacks. The Queen loses 4 points the first time she is checked. On the second check, the game is lost. Stay sharp and protect your Queen!
If the Queen remains safe, the game continues until you can no longer place cards due to space or movement restrictions OR until all cards have been played except the bottom card of the draw deck. Tally your victory points and see how successfully you’ve built the kingdom of Cats!
Carry your love for Cat’s Gambit wherever you go with this stylish and functional tote bag! Measuring 12 x 8 x 4 inches, it’s perfect for carrying your board games, books, or daily essentials.
✨ Double-Sided Design:
One side features the Queen Aurelia, exuding elegance and strategy.
The other showcases the mischievous Cat-ken, ready to challenge your every move!
This tote is both a statement piece and a practical companion for game nights and everyday adventures. Add it to your pledge and bring a bit of the Cat’s Gambit kingdom with you! 🐾♟️
Cat's Gambit Enamel Pins. $15 each or Collect All Five for $55.
Show off your love for Cat’s Gambit with these beautifully crafted 1.5" enamel pins, featuring five unique designs inspired by the game’s chess-piece characters:
👑 Queen – Regal and commanding, the heart of your strategy. ♝ Bishop – Swift and clever, always thinking ahead. ♞ Knight – Bold and unpredictable, leaping into action. ♜ Rook – Strong and steady, a fortress on the board. ♟️ Pawn – Small but mighty, every great journey starts here!
Made with high-quality enamel and striking details, these pins are perfect for backpacks, jackets, or displaying as part of your Cat’s Gambit collection. Add them to your pledge and bring a touch of feline strategy wherever you go! 🐾♟️✨
⭐️ 😸😸😸 ⭐️ 7,000 Upgrade placement cube to a 1" cat-shape token
⭐️ 😸😸😸 ⭐️ 10,000 Queen Umbra, Master of Cat-kens
Unlock the Darkness! Queen Umbra, Master of Cat-kens emerges as a stretch goal expansion for Cat’s Gambit! This ominous presence adds a thrilling new challenge—an ever-lurking threat to Queen Aurelia. You must check her twice before the game ends, or she will drain Aurelia’s strength, risking total defeat! Can you outmaneuver both the Cat-kens and the shadowy queen? Help us reach this stretch goal and bring this intense new layer of strategy to Cat’s Gambit!
"Cat's Gambit continue the grand Sunrise Tornado tradition of releasing accessible and charming games that appeal to everyone that enjoys a good puzzle." - Daniel Robison of Plumpy Thimble.
🎲 WELCOME TO POCKETOPIA—a celebration of portable easy-to-learn tabletop games featuring 50+ creators launching together on BackerKit from March 13 - April 3!
🏆 Here’s how you can earn EXCLUSIVE event rewards:
Cross-Collab Freebies: Look for projects marked as Cross-Collab partners! Back both projects to earn a FREE reward from each creator. The more pairs you support, the more freebies you collect!
From Cat's Gambit, you will receive a 4" Queen's Pouch to store the game or your favorite dice. Together, we will vote for one of the following to be the best reward.
MORE! Pocketopia Dice Bag: Back 6 projects or more to unlock this exclusive reward, surveyed and shipped by BackerKit.
⚔️ Rewards at a glance:
2 FREE rewards for every Cross-Collab pair you back (one from each creator!)
1 FREE limited edition Pocketopia 2025 Dice Bag when you back 6+ projects
⭐ PRO TIP: Maximize your freebies by supporting Cross-Collab pairs! For example, support 3 Cross-Collab pairs (6 projects) to earn up to 6 exclusive freebies while unlocking the Dice Bag!
*Only pledges to physical reward tiers or main digital offerings (if no physical items are offered) qualify towards earning these limited FREEBIES. Please refer to individual project pages for unlock requirements.
At Spiel 2023, we released a 100-copy limited edition of Cat’s Gambit for market testing. This early version featured AI-generated art and allowed us to gather valuable feedback from players. We were thrilled with the positive response, which confirmed that the game had strong potential as a solo puzzle experience.
With this in mind, we’re excited to bring Cat’s Gambit to a wider audience with a new edition featuring beautiful illustrations by Holly Chiu—the talented artist behind Boba Mahjong and one of the illustrators of Macaron. Her art brings a fresh charm to the game, perfectly capturing the whimsical yet strategic nature of Cat’s Gambit.
Our goal is to share this delightful solo puzzle with players who love strategy, chess-inspired challenges, and brain-teasing gameplay. We can't wait for you to experience the official edition and embark on your journey to outsmart the mischievous Cat-kens! 🐾♟️
Delivery is available to US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most locations in EU and countries Asia. Backers will benefit from custom-friendly shipping, meaning you will not have to pay additional customs fees.
Backers in some US states may be subject to sales tax.
For countries not mentioned, we are unable to ship to most countries due to logistics and VAT. Thank you for your understanding.
If you have a change of address and fail to update your information before we begin fulfillment, you may incur additional shipping costs.
Design: Ta-Te Wu Illustration: Holly Chiu Rules: Ric White Accessibility: Sarah Reed Tutorial Video: Daniel Robison of Plumpy Thimble
Publisher: Sunrise Tornado
Sunrise Tornado is an independent board game publisher proudly based in Los Angeles, dedicated to creating fun and engaging family-friendly games that reflect the joy and creativity in everyday life. We turn to Kickstarter for our game launches because your support is what makes it all possible. Crowdfunding not only allows us to bring our games to life but also gives us the opportunity to make them even better for everyone by unlocking exciting Stretch Goals. Your involvement helps us enhance the experience without adding any extra cost to backers. We deeply appreciate your support and for joining us on this journey! Thank you for being here!
