Board games for two players

Games built for two rather than scaled down to it, tested over a lot of evenings.

Bookmarks

1. Patchwork

   5/5

   Rosenberg made a quilt into a puzzle about time. Still his tightest game.

2. Onitama

   5/5

   Chess distilled onto five-by-five squares and five shifting cards.

3. Sky Team

   5/5

   Two pilots landing a plane in silence, placing dice in turn. Properly tense.

4. 7 Wonders Duel

   5/5

   The tableau game that finally works at two, and the sudden wins keep it tense.

5. Jaipur

   5/5

   Ten minutes, a herd of camels, and more decisions than it looks.

6. Twilight Struggle

   4/5

   Three hours of Cold War pressure. Heavy, historical, worth the evening.

7. Hive

   4/5

   No board, no setup: surround the queen bee or lose her. Fits in a pocket.

8. Codenames: Duet

   4/5

   The cooperative version, and the one to own if there are only two of you.

9. Splendor Duel

   4/5

   The engine of the original plus a real tug of war over the middle row.