The best games for 2 players on a single phone or tablet are the classic turn-based board games: Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Reversi, Mancala and Four in a Row. Each one is free to play on Pass and Play Games: set the device between you, take your turn, and hand it over. Below you’ll find what makes each game different, how long a round takes, and one tip per game to help you win.
Two-player games compared
| Game | Typical game | Luck | Time to learn | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chess | 10–60 min | None | 30 min (a lifetime to master) | Deep strategy |
| Checkers | 15–30 min | None | 5 min | A classic everyone knows |
| Backgammon | 10–30 min | Dice | 15 min | Comebacks and risk-taking |
| Reversi | 10–20 min | None | 2 min | Big late-game swings |
| Mancala | 10–15 min | None | 5 min | Counting and planning ahead |
| Four in a Row | 5–10 min | None | 1 min | Fast rematches |
Times are typical for casual play. Faster players finish sooner, and thoughtful ones take longer.
1. Chess: the deepest game for two
Chess descends from games played in India and Persia more than a thousand years ago, and its modern rules settled in Europe around the end of the 15th century. Each side has 16 pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. You win by checkmating the other king, which means attacking it so it has no escape.
Why it’s great for two: there is no luck at all, and no two games are alike. Chess also has the most depth on this list. Tip: in your first moves, bring out your knights and bishops, and castle early to tuck your king safely away. Play Chess with a friend, or learn the basics in the Chess tutorial.
2. Checkers: simple rules, real tactics
Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of an 8×8 board. Pieces move diagonally forward one square and capture by jumping over an enemy piece. Under American rules, if you can capture you must. Reach the far row and your piece becomes a king that can move backward too.
Why it’s great for two: you can teach it in five minutes, yet the forced-capture rule creates real tactics, such as giving up one piece to set up a double jump. Researchers proved in 2007 that perfect play from both sides leads to a draw, so between equal players, close games are common. Tip: keep your back row filled as long as you can, so your opponent has trouble getting a king. See the full Checkers rules or start a game of Checkers.
3. Backgammon: luck and skill in one game
Backgammon belongs to a family of “tables” games that goes back many centuries. Each player has 15 checkers on a board of 24 narrow triangles called points. You roll two dice, move your checkers around the board toward your home area, and then bear them off. The first player to remove all 15 wins. A single checker alone on a point is a “blot,” and if your opponent lands on it, it goes to the bar and has to re-enter from the start.
Why it’s great for two: the dice mean anyone can win on a given night, but skill decides most games over time. Tip: move in pairs to build points (two or more checkers on a point can’t be hit) and leave as few blots as possible. Play Backgammon or read the Backgammon guide for setup and bearing off.
4. Reversi: one move can flip the game
Reversi dates back to England in the 1880s. Two players share 64 discs that are dark on one side and light on the other. The game starts with four discs in the center. On each turn you place a disc so that it traps a straight line of your opponent’s discs between it and another of yours, and every trapped disc flips to your color. When neither player can move, the one with more discs wins.
Why it’s great for two: the rules take two minutes, but the score can swing wildly in the last few moves. Tip: grab the corners. A corner disc can never be flipped, and squares right next to an empty corner are risky because they can hand that corner to your opponent. Try Reversi.
5. Mancala: the counting game
Mancala is a large family of count-and-capture games played across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Our version follows Kalah, a simpler modern variant. Each player has six pits and a store, with four seeds in every pit at the start. On your turn you scoop up all the seeds from one of your pits and sow them one by one counterclockwise. If your last seed lands in your own store, you take another turn. If it lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that seed along with the seeds in the pit across from it.
Why it’s great for two: games are short, it suits kids and adults alike, and counting ahead pays off quickly. Tip: look for moves that end in your store first, because a free turn often sets up a second one. Play Mancala or read the Mancala rules.
6. Four in a Row: the fastest rematch
Players drop discs into a grid seven columns wide and six rows tall. The first to line up four, whether horizontally, vertically or diagonally, wins. In 1988, two researchers working separately showed that the first player can always force a win with perfect play, starting in the center column. In real games between people, the center is simply the strongest place to begin.
Why it’s great for two: a round takes a few minutes, so “one more game” is easy to say yes to. Tip: build threats that stack, such as two possible fours in the same column, so blocking one square sets up the other. Play Four in a Row.
More quick games for two
If you’ve played everything above, these are worth a try:
- Nine Men’s Morris: an ancient game of placing pieces and forming lines of three, called mills, to remove your opponent’s pieces.
- Gomoku: five in a row on a 15×15 grid. It’s easy to learn and surprisingly sharp.
- Dots and Boxes: the pen-and-paper classic, with no paper needed.
- Tic-Tac-Toe: perfect for a 30-second warm-up.
How to choose a two-player game
- Short on time? Four in a Row, Reversi or Mancala.
- Want a game you can play for years? Chess or Backgammon.
- Big skill gap between you? Backgammon’s dice even the odds. In any game, the stronger player can allow the newer player an undo or two.
- Playing a child? Checkers, Mancala and Four in a Row have rules kids pick up quickly.
Tips for playing on one device
- Sit side by side, or put the device flat between you, so both of you can see the board.
- Use the optional pass screen if you’d rather not watch each other think. It shows a “pass to” screen with the next player’s name before each turn.
- Use undo for honest misclicks.
- No partner? Every game here has a computer opponent with Easy, Medium and Hard levels. See all games vs the computer.
- No connection? After your first visit, the games work offline, which makes them handy on flights and road trips.
Want to know more about sharing one screen? Read what pass and play means, or browse every two-player game on the site.