The best two-player games at dinner share three virtues: a small footprint, rules that fit in a few sentences, and a finish before the plates are cleared. Everything below meets at least two of the three. The shelves change, so if one is out at another table, ask for its nearest relative.
Ten for the table
- Hive. No board at all, only a handful of heavy insect tiles. Surround your opponent’s queen bee before they surround yours. It fits between the bread and the wine glasses.
- Patchwork. Two people competing to sew the better quilt, with buttons for money. Gentle to learn, quietly cutthroat to play.
- Jaipur. Two merchants trading spices, silk, and camels. Fast, a little greedy, and ideal for the time it takes to open seven oysters.
- Lost Cities. A card game of expeditions, where committing too early is ruinous and committing too late is worse. Like most good arguments.
- 7 Wonders Duel. Build a civilisation by drafting cards from a shared pyramid. It wants a little more table and a little more time, so order the chowder.
- Codenames Duet. A word game where the two of you play together, not against each other. Recommended for first dates and diplomatic missions.
- Azul. Drafting coloured tiles to decorate a palace wall. Pretty enough to forgive the moment your partner takes the exact tiles you needed.
- Carcassonne. Lay tiles, build a medieval countryside, and claim it with small wooden people. A modern classic that plays very well with two.
- Love Letter. A small deck of cards and a royal intrigue. Rounds last minutes, and it fits in a pocket.
- Cribbage. The board, the pegs, fifteen-two, fifteen-four. Half the Maritimes learned it at a kitchen table; it has earned its place at this one.
House rules for two
Choose before you order, so the rules are learned by the time the starters arrive. Pause for the main; nothing is lost by leaving a game half-finished while the food is hot. And if one of you is winning by a great deal, dessert is an acceptable reason to call it a draw.
Questions people ask
- What is a good two-player board game for a date?
- Codenames Duet if you’d rather cooperate, Patchwork or Jaipur if you’d rather compete, and Hive if the table is small.
- Can we play during dinner?
- Yes. One game sits at a table at a time, and the small two-player games fit beside the plates.
- How much does it cost to play?
- $10 a table, free when everyone at the table orders a main.
- Are these games always available?
- They’re in a collection of over five thousand boxes, but another table may have one out. The guild will suggest its nearest relative.