Chess
Board · vs Computer
Two Player Games on One Screen
Everything here has a real two player mode on one screen: hand the mouse (or the phone) back and forth and play a friend across the table, no second device and no account. Start with Chess, then work through the world's other chess traditions: Xiangqi from China, Shogi from Japan, and Janggi from Korea. Each one plays by its own rules, and beating a friend at a game neither of you grew up with is its own kind of fun.
The rest of the shelf is deeper cuts for board game fans: Amazons (queens that shoot arrows to wall off territory), Lines of Action (connect your pieces before your friend connects theirs), Jungle (the animal-ranks classic), Breakthrough (a pure race with no draws), and Fox and Hounds (one player runs, one player hunts). Every game highlights legal moves, so you can learn the rules as you play instead of reading a manual first.
Only have one player handy? Each of these games also has a computer opponent with adjustable difficulty, and so does every other game on the site. So use this page when a friend is next to you, and play the computer when they are not.
2 Player Games: frequently asked questions
Can two people really play on one device?
Yes. Every game on this page has a pass-and-play mode: both players share the same screen and take turns with the same mouse or by tapping. Nothing to download and no accounts needed.
Do these games work on a phone?
Yes. The boards resize to fit phones and tablets, and moves work by tapping. Two people can pass one phone back and forth comfortably.
What if I do not have a second player?
Switch to single player: every game here also has a built-in computer opponent with easy, medium and hard settings.
Which two player game is easiest to learn?
Breakthrough is the fastest to pick up: pieces move like pawns and the first one to reach the far side wins. Fox and Hounds is nearly as simple. Chess variants like Xiangqi and Shogi take longer but reward the effort.