Player guide
How to choose your next board game
Board games last for centuries because their rules fit on a card and their mastery never ends. Pick by how much thinking — and how much luck — you want.
For deep strategy
Chess, Checkers (Draughts), Nine Men's Morris and Hnefatafl (Viking Chess) are pure-skill duels where every move has consequences twenty turns later.
For family game night
Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Chinese Checkers and Halma mix dice luck with simple movement, so younger players can win against adults.
For quick duels
Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four and Gomoku (Five in a Row) teach the same forcing-move ideas as chess in only a couple of minutes per game.
For territory and tempo
Reversi (Othello) and Hex reward corner control and connection planning, while Mancala turns simple seed sowing into precise counting.
For deduction and solo play
Mastermind and Battleship are guessing games solved by logic, and Peg Solitaire plus Dominoes work perfectly when you are playing alone.
Tip: browser board games need no plugin and save nothing to your device, so you can switch between Chess, Ludo and Backgammon in seconds on a phone, tablet or desktop.