PlayTheory / Games like chess
Games like chess you can play with a friend
What makes chess great is simple: two players, no luck, and everything is on the board. If you lose, it’s because the other player saw further. These games keep that feeling with fresh rules, and most can be learned in a minute.
Play now: Duo Sudoku
Duo Sudoku
One sudoku, two players, bonus squares. Race each other to place correct numbers. It’s a quicker head-to-head battle of wits than chess, with games of 3 to 10 minutes.
Play freeDuo Sudoku works on one screen or online: send a friend a link and you’re both on the same puzzle. How Duo Sudoku works.
Strategy games coming to PlayTheory
Each of these is a pure two-player strategy game, with no dice, no cards and nothing hidden, just like chess.
Amazons
The closest relative of chess on this list. Your pieces move like chess queens, then fire an arrow that burns a square for good. The board shrinks every turn until someone is boxed in.
Hex
Build a chain of your colour across the board before your opponent blocks you. Invented twice, by Piet Hein and John Nash, and it can never end in a draw.
Clobber
Every move is a capture: hop onto a neighbouring enemy piece and take it. The last player able to move wins. Simple rules, sharp tactics.
Kōnane
Hawaiian checkers, played for centuries. Jump and capture in straight lines, and leave your opponent without a move.
Domineering
Place dominoes, one of you upright and the other sideways, until someone runs out of room. Pure planning and space control.
Dots & Boxes
The school-desk classic. Draw lines, close boxes and grab the most. Far deeper than it looks once you learn about chains.
What makes a good chess alternative?
- No luck. No dice or shuffled cards, so the better player wins.
- Nothing hidden. Both players see everything, so you can always plan ahead.
- Simple rules, deep play. Most of these games take a minute to learn, compared with chess’s six piece types, castling and en passant.
- Short games. A round often takes five or ten minutes, which makes them great for a break at work or school.
Questions
What is a good alternative to chess?
Look for two-player games with no dice, no cards and nothing hidden, so the better player wins. Amazons, Hex, Clobber, Kōnane, Domineering and Dots & Boxes all work this way, and most have far simpler rules than chess.
What strategy game is easier to learn than chess?
Hex, Clobber and Domineering can each be explained in one or two sentences, yet they stay deep enough for years of play. Hex also can never end in a draw.
What is a quick brain game to play with a friend?
Duo Sudoku: you both fill in the same sudoku and race for points, in games of 3, 5 or 10 minutes. It’s free here, on one screen or online with a link.
Play something right now
The strategy games are on their way. Duo Sudoku is ready today.
Play Duo Sudoku