Steven wonders if they are safe in the TARDIS, but the invisible Doctor assures him that they are not. The ship has materialized in the centre of an empty room. When they turn on the scanner, it shows only a white nothingness, which the Doctor believes is a trick. Dodo is in favour of dematerializing immediately, but the Doctor is intangible as well as invisible and therefore cannot operate the controls. Besides, he knows that they must face up to whatever this challenge is. Steven opens the doors and he and the Doctor exit. Dodo hangs back.

Elsewhere, a strange man dressed like a Chinese mandarin sits in his study. He is called the Toymaker. The room is ornately decorated and crammed with toys, dolls, plush animals, games, masks, etc. The ceiling is a montage of the entire universe. The Toymaker approaches a miniature replica of a theatre and addresses two of the clown dolls inside. He tells them that they are very good at games and can show Steven and Dodo their tricks. He removes the dolls, one male and one female, and places them on the floor, where they grow to life-size and bow before the Toymaker.

Outside the TARDIS, the Doctor suddenly reappears and Dodo leaves the ship to join him and Steven. The blank room, says the Doctor, looks somewhat familiar to him. He doesn't like the feel of the place any more than his companions, but he knows that they must face whatever awaits them here. He feels that they were meant to come here.

Steven suddenly begins hallucinating, seeing a screen which the others cannot, and it shows his past experiences on the planet Kembel and in Paris. The Doctor orders him to turn away, saying they are in the world of the Celestial Toymaker and the screen is his method of dominating people's minds.

Steven manages to look away, and Dodo is warned to avoid the "screen" at all costs. The Doctor tells them that the Toymaker is a powerful evil who traps people into becoming his playthings. At that, the Toymaker materializes in the room with them. Each man knows the other and reacts with instant antagonism. They have met before and the Toymaker has been waiting for the Doctor's return. Dodo notices in alarm that the TARDIS has disappeared from the room. He tries to trap her into gazing into the screen - a "memory window" - at the death of her mother, but Steven forces her to look away. The Doctor warns them that the Toymaker will try everything to get them into his power and that nothing here is for fun, no matter how innocent it looks. The Toymaker shows Dodo and Steven a large conveyor full of police boxes, hundreds of replicas of the TARDIS, but which one is real. They turn back to him only to find him gone, along with the Doctor!

Left alone, the two explore the room, finding only a cupboard in it. From it emerge the two clowns. Steven attempts a greeting only to have them trick him with a false hand and arm and an exploding balloon. He is left flat on his back on the floor as Dodo laughs. But she is the next victim...of water-squirting flowers.

The Toymaker appears in the room with them, telling the travellers that the clowns are here to play a game with them - to "entertain them" while he and the Doctor play a game together. He materializes a robot with a screen in its chest so that they can monitor the Doctor's progress in his game. But, he warns, they must win all of their games before he does. At the end of each game, if they win, they will find a TARDIS which may or may not be the real one. If they lose, they must stay here with the Toymaker forever.

As the Toymaker vanishes, they turn back to the clowns, who have been busily setting up a series of obstacles around the room, including ropes stretches over sharp spikes, stepping stones, and a plank set up across two ladders. They will be playing Blind Man's Buff.

The Doctor finds himself in the Toymaker's study. He is irritated, but the Toymaker exudes oily charm. At first the Doctor refuses to play along, but the Toymaker says he will lose by default in that case, and become a toy in this domain forever. As his curiosity got him into this, he must play. His game is the trilogic game, a game of wit and intelligence. It consists of moving different sized pieces from corner to another on a triangular board, to rearrange them perfectly from the A corner to the C corner in only 1023 moves. If he makes one mistake he loses, and the Toymaker is looking very forward to that as he is bored with the dull and stupid beings he has been attracting into his toyroom of late. He needs the intellectual stimulation that only a being of the Doctor's learning can provide.

The Toymaker sets up the board and provides a screen so the Doctor can watch Steven and Dodo's progress in their games. The Doctor will only recover his TARDIS if they win their games.

Steven and Dodo are introduced to their game by the female clown, named Clara. Dodo is taken to a nearby glass booth and Steven is shown the starting point. He must make it blindfolded through all the obstacles and find his way to the "Home" point without falling down. The male clown, a mute named Joey, will also play. They will play until someone loses. Joey will take a test trip through the obstacles to show them how it's done. Clara will direct him by a series of buzzes which indicate directions. He does very well and moves very smoothly during his test.

The Doctor, alone in the study, sees his companions ready to begin and uses the intercom to try and warn them of some danger, but the Toymaker materializes suddenly and stops him. As punishment, the Toymaker advances the trilogic game pieces to move 152, and also renders the Doctor invisible again. He is left only one hand visible in order to play the game.

Joey finishes his test with no mistakes, and now it's Steven's turn. He is blindfolded and gets ready to take the first obstacle - swinging on a rope. But Dodo stops him as she sees Joey out on the playing field moving some of the obstacles. Steven barely manages to continue as Joey moves stepping stones out of his way. Dodo desperately tries to direct him on the changing field, unable to leave the booth.

He manages to make it through several more obstacles, with Joey harassing him all the way. He reaches the last obstacle, a hollow tube. Halfway through, Joey bends it round so that Steven exits at the same place he entered. Dodo is furious and tries to force Clara to stop the cheating, but cannot. Steven realizes what's happened and removes his blindfold. Clara and Joey are thrilled at their victory. She opens the booth door and rushes out to congratulate him. She tells Steven and Dodo they'll never win the TARDIS back.

But Dodo finds Joey's blindfold discarded on the ground and sees that it is transparent. The clowns know that the game must be replayed, but fairly this time. She ties Steven's blindfold around his head and sends Clara to the booth to guide him. Joey starts off well, but falters when he reaches the plank between the two ladders. He tries to cross, very slowly and carefully, but sways dangerously halfway across. Two more steps and he topples to the floor. In the booth, Clara has collapsed over the buzzer. The lights in the room dim and go out. Steven and Dodo have won.

At the far end of the room, a police box appears and they rush to it. Examining it, however, they find it to be a fake. On the floor, they find a slip of paper with a riddle on it: "Four legs, no feet, of arms no lack, it carries no burden on its back. Six deadly sisters, seven for choice, call the servants without voice."

Steven and Dodo continue down the featureless corridor, which ends in a door. They wonder if this could be the next game, especially when they realize they must make several "moves" before they can open the door, but Steven reasons it is just a delaying tactic. He sees on a nearby monitor that the Doctor is playing quickly. They must finish their games before he does. Steven adjusts several pieces on the door and tries to open it. It refuses to open, until Dodo suggests pulling rather than pushing!

The Doctor, invisible and intangible but for one hand, continues the Trilogic game. He has made no mistakes yet, but the Toymaker is still confident. Steven and Dodo will lose at some point and become dolls here forever. Or else they will not find the TARDIS before the Doctor finishes his game, in which case they will still be trapped here.

On a screen in the study, the Doctor sees Steven and Dodo enter the room where their next test is prepared. He reaches out to the tannoy system with his one hand and tries to warn them to choose a certain chair, but the Toymaker stops him before he can finish. Angry, the Toymaker deprives the Doctor of his voice until his second to last move. He also moves the game ahead to move 444. The Toymaker then selects new opponents for Steven and Dodo - the Hearts family. He gets out a pack of cards and tosses down the King, the Queen, and the Knave of Hearts. After a moment, he also tosses down the Joker.

Steven and Dodo explore the room they've entered, which contains three beautiful chairs in the centre. The Toymaker appears to them and tells them what he's done to the Doctor and that they, too, must play according to the rules. Steven and Dodo protest that his own players cheat and that they can't believe anything in this strange world, but the Toymaker is gone.

They turn again to the chairs, but are interrupted by 2 garrulous people - a man and a woman - wearing an outrageous parody of regal dress. The newcomers address Steven and Dodo as peasants. They are the King and Queen of Hearts, and they are on a search for their throne in order to free themselves and escape the Toymaker. Dodo recognizes them immediately, but Steven instructs her to ignore them.

Steven and Dodo go over the riddle again. The description surely refers to the chairs, but there are only 3, not 6 or 7. They spot a doorway on one wall and go through. The King and the Queen call for the Knave and the Joker, the former "accidentally" stabbing the King in the posterior with his sword as he enters. The four of them talk nonsense for quite a while before noticing that Steven and Dodo have gone.

In the other room, Steven and Dodo find 4 more chairs and the riddle begins to make sense. There are 6 "deadly sisters" and a seventh which is safe. They must find the safe one to win the game. Steven blithely starts to sit in one of the chairs, but Dodo is more cautious. Choose wrong, and they will be destroyed.

Steven notices 4 cupboards along one wall, all the same shape as the TARDIS but painted white. Only 3 of them will open; the fourth may be the real TARDIS in disguise. Inside the three, they find a total of 7 life-size dolls which they realize they can place in the chairs to see if they are real. But Steven is afraid they too might be dangerous, as they are obviously the "servants without voice" from the riddle. He tries to call them out, but with no success. They see again the Doctor's game counter. He is more than half way done with the Trilogic game. They must hurry.

Before they can make much headway, the King and Queen enter and wonder why they are "playing with dolls". Dodo explains the riddle and the fact that 6 of the chairs are dangerous. They are planning to use the dolls to test the chairs. Steven again tells Dodo to ignore the pair as they are not real, but the Queen assures them they are just as real as Steven and Dodo are. They are victims of the Toymaker, who made themlike this when they lost their games. That is why they are determined to win their freedom.

The Queen agrees that using the dolls to test the chairs is the best method and proposes to share the dolls. Dodo protests that they are playing against one another and that they found the dolls and so should use them. However, Steven has only managed to remove four dolls from the cupboards and so the Hearts do not know of the other three. Dodo tries to protest the unfair arrangement and the King and Queen challenge her. Steven sides with them in order to keep the other dolls a secret for now, agreeing that each team should get two of the dolls. He and Dodo head to the first room to begin testing.

The King and Queen take their first doll and place it in a chair. All seems quiet for the moment, but soon the arms of the chair encircle the doll tighter and tighter, crushing it.

Steven and Dodo find the Knave and the Joker asleep in the other room. Dodo is interested in those two, and also put out at Steven for lying to the King and Queen as they seem "quite nice and friendly", but Steven is focused on winning and wants to hurry along. At his prompting, Dodo tosses her first doll into a chair. It is immediately electrocuted, proving to them the seriousness of the game. The sounds wake up Cyril the Knave, who attempts to banter with Steven and Dodo. When they ignore him, he leaves in a sulk. Steven then uses the second doll and places it in another chair. The chair begins to spin, building up speed until the doll is tossed out, smashed violently against the wall. Now they must try and get the other dolls from the cupboard without the King and Queen knowing.

The Knave returns to his parents in the other room, and the King seems very glad to see him. He suggests that the Knave sit in one of the chairs, at which the young man protests sulkily to the Queen. She confronts her husband, who immediately backs off the idea, then grabs their second doll and places it into the chair. It vanishes before their eyes. They cast around for their next move, the King suggesting checking on Steven and Dodo. But the Queen says to leave them. They can't have won yet or the game would be over and they would be playing cards again. They simply need 2 more dolls, or.... The King and the Queen both realize that the Joker can help them, so they head into the other room to find him.

Steven hears the Hearts family coming and thinks quickly. He will keep them occupied while Dodo slips into the other room to get the remaining dolls. She can test the last two chairs in there, and then they will know which chair is the winner. The King and the Queen "commiserate" with Steven over their lack of luck, although the King admits they still have "one card left to play". He wakes the Joker and begins to chat to him about chairs.

Dodo returns shortly with news that the third cabinet is now locked and she is unable to get the other dolls. The King and Queen overhear this and accuse them of being cheats. Steven is indignant, considering what they were about to do to the Joker. The King stops him before he can give the plan away and the fool is none the wiser. The Hearts family, with Joker in tow, return to the second room.

Steven despairs that they have lost. They can use the Joker and perhaps find the right chair, while he and Dodo have nothing. Listening to him, Dodo makes a decision...

In his study, the Toymaker watches the game with interest. He gleefully informs the Doctor that his commendable play will be for naught as Dodo has chosen to sit in the freezing chair.

Dodo sits and suddenly feels cold. The temperature of her body drops and she cannot move. Steven urges her to get up, afraid to touch her for fear of being drawn in himself. He wills her to stand and she tries. Using all of her strength, she manages to get up and out, Steven cheering her on all the way. Steven is overjoyed that she is safe, but despondent again when he realizes that the safe chair is in the other room with the Hearts.

The King continues his efforts to trick the Joker, asking him only to choose which of the two remaining chairs is "best". The Joker chooses, but he won't sit in it, even when ordered. He resigns his position as royal fool and leaves the room. The Queen, desperate to win, gestures for Cyril to sit. He giggles nervously and runs out after the Joker.

There is nothing else for it. One of them must sit in a chair. They propose and reject drawing straws and tossing a coin, as each one knows the other's tricks. They decide to sink or swim together and both sit in one of the chairs. At first, nothing happens and they are certain they have won the game. However, the chair begins to melt and smother them both.

Steven and Dodo enter in time to see this. They realize that they have won and he sits on the remaining chair. There is a roaring noise and the fourth cupboard becomes a police box. Now all they need is for the Doctor to win his game and they can leave. However, they quickly find out that this is only another fake TARDIS.

As they ponder their next move, Dodo reminds Steven that they never really solved the last part of the previous riddle. Steven calls again for the "servants without voice" to come out. Instead, a previously-unnoticed telephone rings. It is the Toymaker, who tells them that they are doing better than he thought they would, but that the Doctor is still playing faster than they are. Time and luck are running out for them. He also gives them their next riddle: "Hunt the key to fit the door that leads out on a dancing floor. Then escape the rhythmic beat or you'll forever tap your feet." Then he is gone.

Dodo looks back into the room from which they have come. As before, the people are gone, this time replaced by playing cards. They must go one to the next game. Emerging from the police box shell into another blank corridor, they move on, Dodo calling out to the dolls to come out.

In the Toymaker's study, he compliments the Doctor on his choice of friends. Steven and Dodo are clever and resourceful, and they have earned some "amusement". He consults a book of fairy tales and selects from it their next opponents - Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs. That is who they shall meet behind the next door.

Steven and Dodo have indeed reached a door at the end of the featureless corridor. However, there is no doorhandle, no latch, and no lock. They cannot open it. Dodo glances back down the corridor and sees the 3 dolls moving stiffly toward them and she is scared. After all, they were responsible for the destruction of the other 4 dolls. She tries to order them back, but that does not work. They stop short and block the corridor. Suddenly, the door opens and the dolls file silently past Steven and Dodo and through the door. Astonished, the two travellers follow them.

They emerge into an old-fashioned kitchen. The chef is in the corner, asleep. But a soldier and a female cook are awake. These are Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs, both pompous and garrulous. Rugg demands to know what they want here. Dodo repeats the riddle the Toymaker gave them and says they are looking for the next game. Mrs. Wiggs points to another door and says there is a dancing floor through there.

As Dodo investigates, the pompous Sgt. Rugg lays into Steven about his shape and his lack of discipline. Steven is contemptuous and dismissive. While Rugg postures importantly, Dodo returns with the news that the door is locked. Their next game must be through there and the TARDIS will be there as well.

Rugg goes at Steven again. Steven gets upset, but Dodo pulls him away saying he's just a toy. Rugg however, continues, and so Dodo asks him for some advice on their predicament. He and Mrs. Wiggs suggest looking at the riddle again and Dodo soon realizes that their new game is "hunt the thimble", only they are looking for the key to the door.

The Toymaker is upset as the Doctor has stopped playing again. He moves the game ahead to move 770. When the Doctor continues, but too slowly, he imperiously orders the pieces to move to 813. The pieces move themselves and the Toymaker watches Steven and Dodo on the monitor.

Dodo is amused as the sleeping chef and the other two look similar to the previous toys. In earnest, she and Steven begin their search. Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs are obstructive and they get nowhere fast. Dodo returns to Sgt. Rugg and asks for help. She turns on the charm, complimenting him on his uniform and military bearing, and gets him to help, starting with the dresser. Mrs. Wiggs is upset at all the disorder, especially to her china. Steven realizes that they are here only to throw them off. He resumes his search on the other side of the room.

Sgt. Rugg climbs up on the dresser to look and knocks over a plate, which falls to the floor and breaks. Wiggs goes wild, yelling and swatting at him. More china falls and the row escalates. Soon he is deliberately tossing dishes. The search for the key comes to halt, as expected.

Dodo tries to make peace between them and won't listen to Steven's pleas to leave them alone. She succeeds in calming them down and getting the Sergeant to apologize. However, one careless remark and the row blazes again. Meanwhile, Steven sees the chef wake up and attempt to leave the room with a tin of food. Steven stops him and searches the tin. He finds nothing and sends the chef on his way.

The fight between Rugg and Wiggs has turned into a food fight, with cream buns and pies flying. However, everything comes to a halt when Sgt. Rugg picks up one particular pie in order to toss it. Mrs. Wiggs gets a look of panic in her eye and orders him to put it down. Finally back on task, Dodo wonders about searching the pie for the key. Mrs. Wiggs reacts with fear to this suggestion and all 4 of them dive for the pie. They tear it to pieces and inside, Dodo finds the large gold key. She and Steven say a hasty apology for the mess and leave through the door, shutting it behind them.

Suddenly, the Toymaker appears in the kitchen, very angry. He has given them a chance at life and they have failed! They have just one more chance to redeem themselves. At the far end of the dancing floor, there is a TARDIS. Steven and Dodo must be prevented from reaching it at all costs.

Steven and Dodo survey the dancing floor. Music plays and the three dolls dance round the floor by themselves. Shortly, the music stops and so do the dolls. At the far end of the floor, there is a police box.

Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs enter the dancing floor arm in arm, now the best of friends. Dodo seems pleased, but Steven only has his mind on the problem at hand. He cannot see any obvious traps, so he decides to make a dash across the floor. But as soon as he steps on the dancing floor, the lights come up and the music starts. The dolls begin dancing again. One of them grabs him in an unbreakable grip and forces him to dance with her. Dodo is amused until she realizes the meaning of the riddle.

In his study, the Toymaker compliments the Doctor on his play of the Trilogic game. He watches Steven on the monitor and seems amused. The Doctor stops playing, but the Toymaker reminds him he must continue.

Dodo steps onto the floor to try and help Steven, but she too gets caught up with a doll and is forced to dance. Rugg and Wiggs realize that this is their chance to get to the TARDIS first. Rugg convinces Wiggs to go out and dance with the remaining doll while he tries to reach the TARDIS.

Steven and Dodo see this and try to stop them. Steven instructs her to dance closer to him. When they get closer together, they swing and change partners, now dancing with each other. The dolls start to dance with one another, but they quickly repel each other. One of the dolls grabs Sgt. Rugg and dances with him away from the TARDIS, and the other bars Steven and Dodo's path to the ship. The two dance up to the end of the floor quickly, then split suddenly and dive around the doll on either side. They enter the police box and are safe. Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs are left to "forever tap their feet" on the dancing floor.

Steven and Dodo quickly find the police box is fake and what's worse, there's no apparent way out of it. Dodo laments the fate of the Sergeant and the cook, saying they seemed more real than the others. She and Steven argue briefly about this, but then come together again in order to find the next clue and move on.

In the Toymaker's study, he sees the Doctor laugh and admonishes him for celebrating too early. This is not over for any of them, especially Steven and Dodo. The Toymaker is upset with himself for choosing clowns and cards and nursery characters. All of them are too pleasant to win. He needs someone more deadly this time. He searches through his dolls and comes up with "the most deadly of all" as he is so innocent - the fat, jolly schoolboy. He laughs happily. The Doctor has only 123 moves to go and Steven and Dodo still have to face their toughest opponent.

Looking around the police box cupboard, Dodo spots the next riddle pinned to the ceiling. They retrieve it just as the false back of the police box falls open, showing them the way out. Steven reads: "Lady Luck will show the way, win the game or here you'll stay."

They emerge into another white and featureless corridor and move forward. Dodo lets out a scream as she sees a giant spider on the floor, but they quickly realize it is only a toy on a string. The string is held by a fat, jolly-looking schoolboy who introduces himself as Cyril. He is the Knave from the Hearts family. He reaches out to shake Steven's hand, and zaps him with a buzzer!

Cyril leads them into another room and to their next game: TARDIS hopscotch. The room is dark and laid out somewhat like a maze, with numbered triangles at odd angles set into the floor. At the end is a raised platform on which stands a police box. Cyril explains that each player starts at triangle 1 and takes a die and rolls it. The number will appear on a pole-shaped dice indicator (so that no one can cheat!). The player moves the number thrown. The first one to reach number 14 - where stands the police box - is the winner. Steven wonders immediately where the catch is, noting that they have a 2-to-1 advantage over him. Cyril says there is no catch, simply jump from triangle to triangle until you win. Each player must jump, he explains, because all the floor between the triangles is electrified. Step off and you'll be killed!

In the Toymaker's study, the Doctor has again stopped playing. The Toymaker inflects his voice and orders the pieces to go from move 930. He is confident that Cyril will win, and even if not, the Doctor will finish his game long before Steven and Dodo finish theirs. He can't wait to have all of them here as his playthings forever. Steven and Dodo will make charming dolls; their chairs have already been prepared in the dolls' house.

Dodo rolls first and gets a 3. She jumps forward carefully to triangle 4. Then Steven goes, throwing a 4. The dice indicator buzzes and informs Steven he can move onto number 7, which he does. As he jumps, Cyril informs them that if a player lands on an occupied square, the other player must go back to the start. Now Steven knows why the two of them were allowed to go first. Cyril rolls a 2. Next it's Dodo's turn again and she rolls a 3 and lands on Steven's triangle. Even though they are on the same side, he must go back. The dice indicator then buzzes, informing Steven that he must now miss his turn. Cyril rolls again and gets a 3. He taunts Dodo as he nears her triangle.

The Toymaker watches the progress of their game, pleased. He is also pleased that the Doctor now only has 72 moves to go. Since they will surely lose, he decides to be kind and releases the Doctor from his ban of silence. The Toymaker taunts him when he does not speak immediately. The Doctor replies that the Toymaker has tried - unsuccessfully - throughout the game to break his concentration. It is unlikely that he will succeed now!

Cyril has rolled the proper number to land on Dodo's triangle. He sneaks up on her with a devil mask and frightens her into nearly falling off. Steven jumps forward and threatens him, but Cyril informs him that he too must go back to the start for leaving his triangle. Frustrated, Steven heads toward the TARDIS without rolling his die. The Toymaker appears and taunts them. There is an invisible barrier around the police box which will yield only to those who play by the rules.

With nothing else for it, Steven and Dodo head back to triangle 1. Cyril hits Steven in the back of the head with a spit ball, then takes his turn. He rolls a 2 and jumps ahead. Steven rolls a 6 and jumps forward. He asks if he gets a second roll for a 6, but Cyril informs him that he certainly does not.

The Toymaker returns to his study, satisfied that Steven and Dodo will abide by the rules now. The Doctor does not respond and the Toymaker taunts him again. The Doctor responds with confidence that they will make short work of Cyril. Stung by this, the Toymaker commands the pieces to go from move 1000. He has only 23 moves left, and the Toymaker watches as Steven again must miss a turn.

Cyril urges them to give up now, but Steven and Dodo persevere. She rolls next - a 6. She is only 1 behind Cyril, but Cyril only needs 4 to win. He rolls next, getting a 2. The indicator buzzes, sending him back to triangle 9. He hesitates and Steven urges him to comply. Unseen by either of them, Cyril coats triangle 12 with something before he leaves.

When Cyril reaches triangle 9, he begins to moan and cry that his ankle hurts. Dodo sees that it appears to be bleeding. Steven tries to stop her from going to him, but she is unable to resist. As Steven suspected, it is a trick, the "blood" being nothing but red ink. Cyril has fooled her and he must go back to the start and miss a turn.

It is Cyril's turn again, and overjoyed at his successful trick, he rolls quickly. To his amazement, he rolls the 5 he needs and is ecstatic. He leaps unheedingly from triangle to triangle, until he reaches number 12 when he slips off and his shouts of joy turn into screams of pain. When they cease, there is nothing left of him but a burned and twisted doll on the floor.

Steven jumps ahead to triangle 12 to see what has happened. He finds it covered in a slippery powder, which Cyril himself had to have placed there. He must have forgotten in his haste. Steven starts to head for the TARDIS, but Dodo reminds him that they still must play by the rules. She rolls again and gets the 4 she needs. She jumps happily from triangle to triangle, but almost joins Cyril as she slips on triangle 12. Steven grabs her and keeps her from falling. Together, they finish the trip to triangle 14 and the TARDIS. They examine it closely, expecting it to be fake.

In the Toymaker's study, the Doctor reaches his next to last move. He knows that his sequence of moves was right and that he has won the game. The Toymaker urges him to make the final move, but the Doctor will not. He sees from the monitor that Steven and Dodo have found the real TARDIS, and the Toymaker's control over them has faded. He himself is now completely visible and tangible again. The Toymaker gives him a less than fond congratulations. The Doctor heads off to check on his ship.

Steven and Dodo have a happy reunion with the Doctor as he arrives. They start to enter the ship when the Toymaker appears on a nearby monitor to taunt them. Dodo tells him to let them go, but the Toymaker is adamant that they can't until they finish their games. If he loses, he plans to take them all down with him. The Doctor dismisses his claims, but admits to his companions that he may just be right. He feels that he can defeat the Toymaker if he can just win "the battle of our brains". Again the Toymaker taunts them with their inevitable defeat and Steven reacts angrily. When the Toymaker appears bodily in the room, Steven attacks him. But there is a force field around him and Steven injures his shoulder in the attempt. The Doctor sends both he and Dodo into the TARDIS.

The Toymaker tries another tack, offering the Doctor power to corrupt and destroy if he will agree to stay. But the Doctor dismisses him and head into the ship. The Toymaker calmly sits down next to the Triologic game board, which has appeared in the room. The Doctor emerges immediately, unable to dematerialize the ship. He is furious, but the Toymaker calmly reminds him that he hasn't made the last move and can't leave until then. The Doctor starts to make the move, but stops himself. He realizes that when he does so and the game is won, this world will disappear. The TARDIS will also be destroyed if it is not dematerialized at precisely the right moment. The Toymaker urges him again to make what will truly be his last move.

The Doctor returns to the TARDIS and informs Dodo and Steven of their situation. The Toymaker doesn't care so much about losing. He is immortal and will simply build a new world. But he wants to take them with him. The Doctor turns on an outside speaker and asks to have the Trilogic game board brought into the TARDIS, which the Toymaker of course refuses. The Doctor tries to reason with him, but the Toymaker assures him he is a bad loser and always destroys the ones who destroy his worlds.

Steven offers to go out and make the last move, so the Doctor and Dodo can get away. But the Doctor forbids it. Steven says they must do something; they can't just talk their way out. The Doctor, however, believes they might just be able to do that. He tells Steven to preset the controls for dematerialization. When that is done, he addresses the speaker system and orders the game pieces to go from move 1023. They do not move and the Toymaker laughs in triumph.

However, the Doctor tries again, this time imitating the Toymaker's voice and special inflection. He then orders Steven to dematerialize. The final piece makes the final move just as the ship fades away. They have won -- the Toymaker's world is destroyed and they escape.

The TARDIS crew is joyous at their victory as they depart. The Doctor waxes philosophical as to a future meeting with the Toymaker. He has been defeated, but not destroyed. He is sure they will meet again, "in an other time".