Indie video game studio found the purrfect way to get people playing chess again, putting cats paw and center on the board

Author image for Ayala Sorotsky
Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jun 14, 2026 8:45 AM EDT

Who else wants to play chess again now? Raise your paws.

We have to admit, we were never big chess fans here. We love games - video games, board games, and table-top - but chess has always felt too repetitive, too pristine and clean. Maybe it's the ADHD dopamine-searching brain talking, but… here we are admitting it fully - chess always seemed boring. But bring cats into a game, and everything changes. We love games, and we love cats - they're silly, soft, lovely, and very opinionated. And we love all that about them.

So what happens when you bring chess and cats together? That's exactly what @IndieGameJoe on X found out - people are queuing up to play chess just because it has cats in it, in this new game called Cat Chess. It's basically chess, nothing in the rules has changed, but everything seems different when all the pieces on the board are animated cats who bonk each other on the head.

Apparently, the combination of cats and gaming is a purrfect way to get people to play basically what you want. Whether it's chess or anything else, if the game has cats in it - we're sold. Meow up and take our money.

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  • 01
    Indie Game Joe @IndieGameJoe Follow This indie dev is making a chess game where every piece has been replaced by a cat with its own personality and breed
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    TO
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    TWO
    via @IndieGameJoe
  • 04
    - Stray cats vs house cats - Play with your cats while waiting for the opponent's turn - The purrfect chess game Would you play this? It's called Cat Chess.
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Cheezburger Image 10638211072
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Cheezburger Image 10638212096
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Cheezburger Image 10638211584
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Cheezburger Image 10638211328
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Cheezburger Image 10638212352
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Indie Game Joe @IndieGameJoe "Everything is more fun, cute and chaotic with cats, including the game of chess! So sit back, and lead your furry friends to The Purrfect battle of brains and whiskers."
    via @IndieGameJoe
  • 11
    BossfightGames @bossfightgamesX The only chess game where I'd spend 10 minutes refusing to sacrifice a pawn!
    via @bossfightgamesX

  • Well, technically speaking, no one is sacrificing anything in this game. All the animations are silly and wholesome, and a “piece” on the board that just lost its place is just a cat walking away, waiting outside the board. So cute.

  • 12
    STI YOUT 408s 63s www
    via @IndieGameJoe
  • 13
    Terumah Studios @Menachem222 Looks good, but it took 10 seconds for the cat to actually take the place of the enemy cat. That seems a bit excessive for what would only take 0.5 seconds in an actual chess match. Are we going to have to watch a needlessly long animation after every individual turn? lol
    via @Menachem222
  • 14
    Cat Chess @PlayCatChess We're adding a speed option to change that for the players that want to do it! Terumah Studios @Menachem222 Awesome!
    via @PlayCatChess | @Menachem222
  • 15
    axyan @axolotian you can just play chess, that is still a option
    via @axolotian

  • That's definitely the spirit! If you're not here to see absolutely adorable cats bonking each other on the head, what are you even here for? This is cat chess. We're here to see cute cats (with some chess on the side). Otherwise, just go and play chess - nothing stops you.

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    BC AL 409s 63s
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    A 411s 63s
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    Zendigo @ZendigoPlayz WHO TOMODDED CHESS?!!!????!!!
    via @ZendigoPlayz
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    Morganthrax @Morganthrax I'll convince granny to finally play a video game with this! <3
    via @Morganthrax
  • 20
    Madam Pickle @MadamPickles83 I don't even like chess and I want it
    via @MadamPickles83

  • We heard so many people here saying they want to play the game, and they don't even know how to play chess to begin with. That's the power of cats, though - they'll get people who were not interested in chess to learn the rules of one of the smartest and most complex games in human history. That's some real power, if you ask us.

  • 21
    AtmoPixel @atmopixel me when I see cats in a game mgflip.com WISHLIST
    via @atmopixel
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    AL 412s BLACK
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    hopprbro @hopprbro the ability to pet your cats between turns might be the real checkmate.
    via @hopprbro
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    Chris :L @baraka66z How did you get them to stay sitting in one spot, like that?
    via @baraka66z
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    Megchan @Megchan871 This is how and why I learn to play chess XD
    via @Megchan871
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    Cheezburger Image 10638214656
    via @IndieGameJoe
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    HackerDragon9999 @HackerDragon10K Even when they're the pieces they'll still find a way to knock everything off the board
    via @HackerDragon10K

  • If we discover that when we play, cats can “knock” other cats off the board, as they do with cups, pens, and anything else you dare leave unsupervised next to the edge of a table, we'll lose our minds. It's going to be so funny.

  • 28
    DreamDancer @Christin Dancer Let me guess, the pieces don't do what you tell them to do and they will gladly knock any cat from either side off the board. Oh, and liable to take a nap in the most inconvenient spot. Does it come with laser pointers?
    via @ChristinDancer
  • 29
    Jiyan Mehta @Jiyan Mehta Gary Kasparov. Magnus Purrlsen.
    via @JiyanMehta

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Tags

wholesome adorable adorable cats Video Game Coverage cute cute cats chess video games Cats indie games
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