Takes careful steps in board game, losing last piece (6)
I believe the answer is:
inches
'takes' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with motion as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'careful steps in board game losing last piece' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'in' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for inches that I've seen before include "Small islands" , "small amount" , "makes slow progress" , "Moves in small steps" , "Scottish islands" .)