Strategy Board Games Online Free
Classic two-player strategy games from around the world. Dots and Boxes and Nim are the quickest to learn and both hide real mathematics. Konane is all about jumping, Pente adds captures to five in a row, Quoridor is a race with walls, and Hnefatafl is the Viking battle to save the king. Hex is the connection game that can never end in a draw, Chomp is a chocolate-bar puzzle from game theory, and Bagh Chal and Fanorona are traditional capture games from Nepal and Madagascar. Play against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, or with a friend on the same device.
10 games
Why play strategy board games?
Strategy board games are two-player games with no luck: there are no dice or hidden cards, so the better plan wins. That makes them good practice for thinking ahead, spotting patterns and imagining what an opponent will do next.
Two of them are famous in mathematics. Nim has a complete winning strategy using binary numbers, called the nim-sum, and Dots and Boxes is won by counting chains of boxes and thinking about odd and even. Both are studied in combinatorial game theory.
The others come from around the world: Hnefatafl is the Viking game of capturing or saving the king, Konane is a Hawaiian jumping game, Pente adds captures to five in a row, and Quoridor is a race across the board where walls block your opponent.
Questions and answers
Can I play these board games against the computer?
Yes. Every game has a computer opponent with three levels: Easy, Medium and Hard. You can also choose 2 Players and take turns on one phone, tablet or computer.
Which strategy game should I start with?
Dots and Boxes and Nim take a minute to learn. Konane is also simple: you only ever jump. Pente is easy if you know tic-tac-toe or Connect Four. Quoridor and Hnefatafl take a little longer and reward planning ahead.
Which strategy games use math?
Nim has a winning strategy based on binary numbers (the nim-sum), and Dots and Boxes is won by counting chains and thinking about odd and even. Hex and Chomp are famous for strategy-stealing proofs that the first player can always win. All of them are studied in combinatorial game theory.
Are strategy games good for kids?
Yes. They teach planning, looking ahead and thinking about what an opponent will do. Children from about 6 can play Dots and Boxes, and from 7 or 8 Nim, Konane, Pente and Quoridor.
Do I need to sign up or download anything?
No. All the games run in your web browser for free, and an unfinished game is saved on your device so you can come back to it.