Best Board Games for Two People

Board games have been entertaining us since thousands of years, and more importantly they are just getting better with time. Even though there exist board games which can be played either by one player or a group of people, games for two still remain the favorite. These games are by far the best source of entertainment for those who get bored sitting idle.

Best Board Games for 2 Players

The definition of a 'good board game' may differ from person to person. For some a good game would be the one, which requires strategic planning, while for another a good game would be the one from which you derive maximum fun with little efforts.

Chess: Chess is played on a 64 squared board, referred to as the chessboard, with alternating black and white squares. Though, it just takes a minute to set up a game of chess, its average playing time is one hour, with some international matches even going on for more than 5 hours. One of the oldest board games, chess requires strategic planning and execution of moves. If you don't have the patience to sit at one place for hours altogether, think and thwart your opponent's moves, you can either opt for a game of chess with stipulated time limit or play rapid chess which lasts for only few minutes.

Mastermind: Mastermind is yet another code-breaking board game for two people, wherein one player is expected to make the code, and the other player is expected to break it. The objective of the codebreaker is to guess the correct pattern within the stipulated number of chances. Normally, it takes less than 5 minutes to set up this game, while the playing time ranges between 15 to 20 minutes. It is also considered one of the best board games for couples. Since the launch of its original version in 1972, many new versions, some of which also facilitate multi-player gaming, have been introduced.

Go: Go is a popular 2 player board game played on a 19×19 grid, using black and white colored pellets. The objective of the players is to capture a larger area of the board. The playing time for a casual game of Go can range between half an hour to two hours, while the same for a professional game ranges between 1 to 6 hours. In fact, some of the professional games are even played over a span of two days or more than 10 hours. The game require great tactics and strategic planning along with good observational skills.

Stratego: Stratego is a board game which is played between two players on a 10×10 grid board, with each player having 40 pieces. In order to win the game, the player has to either capture the opponents flag, or capture as many pieces of the opponent as possible. Along with strategies and tactics, a Stratego player also requires excellent memory. Some of the newer versions of Stratego are available with pieces belonging to various pop culture themes such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Marvel Comics.

Othello: Othello, also known as Reversi, is a strategic board game played between two players, on an 8×8 squared board and two different colored set of pieces. The objective of the player is to save as many of his pieces as he can, and upturn the opponents pieces. The playing time for this game may range between 10 minutes to an hour. It is a strategic game, which requires good observational skills. Othello is regarded as one of the best games of all time. World Othello Championship, one of the most prestigious tournament, is held in various parts of the world since 1977.

Other than these games, some of the most popular multi-player board games, such as scrabble and monopoly, can also be played between two people. At the end of the day what matters is the fun you derive by playing these games, and as far as fun-quotient is concerned, rest assured, these are some of 'the' best board games ever made.