Tak (4×4)

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Open problem: Tak (4×4)

Status	Smaller board solved
Solved so far	3×3: first player (White) forced win
Next target	4×4
Barrier	storage: Stacks make positions hard to hash and the 4×4 state space is not known. Measure a sample before estimating the solve.
Latest result	Marrow 2025 (2025-09-06)
Last checked	2026-10-17
Record	data/open/tak-4x4.yaml

Searches for newer work:

• 2026-10-17: looked for web searches “Tak 4x4 solved” and “Tak 5x5 solved”; found no solver or result for 4×4 or 5×5.

Solution history

Date	Size or opening	Result	Strength	Credit	Source
2025-09-06	3×3	first player (White) forced win	—	Joseph Marrow	source

Superseded rows stay in the table.

References

• Joseph Marrow, “The 3×3 Solution to the Game of Tak”, arXiv:2509.05844 (2025-09-06): 3×3 is a first-player forced win. The abstract names no larger board; the paper notes that much Tak analysis is unpublished, on forums. (2025-09-06)

Notes

The weakest of the open entries: its open status rests on searches that found nothing, and Tak forums were not read. A correction is the most likely change.