The Best 2 Player Board Games Chosen By Gibsons

Posted on Aug 17, 2021

We all know that board games are great fun to play with big groups, whether it’s at a summer party, a family games night or even at school. But, what do you do when you’re short on players? Luckily, there are plenty of board games that are adaptable, and perfectly suitable for playing with just two people.

In fact, the best 2 player board games are ideal for date nights, a competitive head-to-head with your best friend, or a rainy day pastime with your child. And the best thing? Most 2 player board games are flexible, meaning that they can be scaled up to suit more players if extra people decide to join in and take part.

The possibilities with 2 player board games are limitless, so that’s why our team has put together a list of some of the best 2 player board games from Gibsons. Take a look at the games on offer below!

Here are some of the best 2 player board games

L’Attaque

This strategy-based game is like ‘capture the flag’ in tabletop form, but with elements of chess added in too. L’Attaque was one of the first of The Big Four military games we released at Gibsons, all the way back in 1925. It was also the precursor to the popular game, Stratego, which just so happened to be a favourite of Winston Churchill!

Players start on the 9x10 square board with thirty-six soldiers in their army, one representing the French, and one the English. Like chess, players strategically move their soldiers to attack, with the overall aim to capture their opponent’s flag. There’s also a twist in that each player had a special spy piece on the board, who seeks out the most valuable piece, Commander in Chief.

L’Attaque is specially designed to be played by just two people, making it one of our best 2 player board games that we have on offer.

Dominoes

Dominoes is a classic game that is perfect for just 2 players, although up to four people can play at any given time. The modern game first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, but there are old records of a similar game being played in China during the Song dynasty, way back in the 1200s!

Like playing cards or dice, a domino set is a generic gaming device, meaning that a variety of different games can be played. The traditional method of playing is through scoring points by laying the dominoes end to end. Our Luxury Dominoes set comes with 56 competition quality 'double-nine' sandwich tiles with metal spinners, making it an ideal gift for both novice and serious players looking to battle it out in a one vs one game.

Rebel Girls Card Game

Our Rebel Girls card game is a great 2 player game to play with your son or daughter, all while giving them a history lesson about some empowering women! Children can build an extraordinary team of leaders, pioneers, warriors, creators and champions in this unique set-collecting card game, all whilst celebrating inspiring female figures from throughout history.

The aim of the game is to collect and complete sets of character cards to score as many Rebel Reward points as possible. Not only is it one of the best 2 player board games we have on offer, but it’s also perfect for helping your children learn about some of the incredible women throughout history, as well as encouraging them to be bold, work hard and remember to be proud of everything they have achieved.

Woodland Snap

Snap is another traditional game that is great for playing with just two players. It’s especially good for playing with younger children as the rules are straightforward and easy to understand. There’s plenty of variations of the classic card game, but all following the same game format. When a card is played that is the same as the one already exposed, the first player to call ‘snap’ collects all the cards and so on. Eventually, one player will succeed in winning the entire pack.

Our Woodland Snap game has charming illustrations on each card with ‘Woodland’ characters by Racey Helps, who was a famous children’s author and artist. Pictures include characters of mice, frogs, rabbits, squirrels, a fox, a mole, a sparrow and a hedgehog.

Shut the Box

You may have seen this game pop up on your TikTok feed, as it’s having a resurgence in popularity! Shut the Box can be played by 2 players, or even 5, making it a flexible option. It’s a classic game that is a great challenge for friends to enjoy down the pub, for a family in their caravan, or for anyone who likes board games - no matter where they are!

It’s a pretty simple game to play too, as each player takes it in turn to throw the dice. Each time the dice is thrown the player may close one or more flaps with a total ‘value’ that matches the combined value of the two dice. If you cannot close a flap or flaps to the value of the dice, the turn passes to your opponent. The object is to finish your turn, leaving as few flaps open as possible.

Chess / Draughts

It goes without saying that we couldn’t write a blog on the best 2 player board games, and not mention chess or draughts! Both are great games for two players and require a lot of skill and strategy to get one up on your opponent.

The game of chess originated in 5th century India, and by the 19th century, it had become established as the most popular of all classic board games. In just the past year, it’s had a resurgence in popularity, thanks to the Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit. The game of draughts, sometimes called checkers, also dates back to ancient times. The aim of the game is to take your opponent’s pieces or to trap them so that your opponent cannot move.

Play the best 2 player board games with Gibsons

At Gibsons, we produce some of the best 2 player board games that entertain all generations. If you’re interested in having the perfect night of fun with your family, friends or significant other, then roll the dice and take a look through our award-winning board games and puzzles. You can view the entire collection here.

Got a question about one of our games? Feel free to get in touch and a member of our team will be more than happy to help you.

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