Cleave is a variant of the Thai game of Mak-yek.
 
All pieces move like a Rook in Chess, that is, any number of squares horizontally or vertically in an unobstructed straight line.
 
The game uses the complementary methods of capture known as "custodianship" and "intervention." If a Pawn moves orthogonally next to an enemy piece and there is another friendly piece directly beyond that, the enemy piece is squeezed between the two pieces and captured. This effects a capture by custodianship.
 
Capture by intervention is its reverse. If a Pawn steps between two orthogonally placed enemy pieces, it captures them both.
 
The edge of the board may be used to form any line of three to complete a capture. So a Pawn may capture an enemy piece by sandwiching the enemy piece between the Pawn and the edge of the board or by stepping between the enemy piece and the edge of the board. It is possible to move so as to capture in more than one direction at a time.
 
A player wins when he is able to reduce his opponent to two pieces or less or by blockading his opponent so he is unable to move.