Games Like Chess: 9 Strategy Games to Try Next

If you like chess, the next game can take one of two directions. Some games keep the idea of a king and pieces with different moves (xiangqi, shogi). Others keep the feeling of planning several moves ahead while changing the rules (checkers, Go, Reversi). This page lists nine games like chess, says what each shares with it and what is different, and points to free versions to try.

Othello is a trademark. This page is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the trademark owner.

Quick pick

If you like in chess	Try
Pieces with different moves	Xiangqi or shogi
Simple rules, deep tactics	Checkers
Controlling territory	Go
Swings in who is ahead	Reversi
A king that must escape	Tafl
Racing across a board	Halma (Ugolki)

1. Checkers

Checkers uses the same 8 by 8 board as chess but with 12 pieces each, on the dark squares only. Every piece moves diagonally, and you must capture when you can. There are fewer rules to learn than in chess, so it is the easiest step. Read chess vs checkers and how to play checkers.

Play it: Master Checkers lets you face the computer, a friend on the same device, or opponents online.

2. Xiangqi (Chinese chess)

Xiangqi is the closest relative. Each side has a general, advisors, elephants, horses, chariots (like rooks), cannons and soldiers on a 9 by 10 board, with a river in the middle and a palace for each general. Pieces stand on the intersections of the lines. The cannon, which captures by jumping over exactly one piece, is what Western chess does not have. Our guide to how to play Chinese chess has the rules. We do not have a xiangqi game on 2PlayerHub yet.

3. Shogi (Japanese chess)

Shogi has a 9 by 9 board and 20 pieces per side, including a king, a rook and a bishop. The big difference from chess is the drop rule: a piece you capture stays in your hand, and on a later turn you can put it back on the board as one of your own. Pieces that reach the far third of the board can be promoted by flipping them. Draws are rare in shogi. We do not have a shogi game on 2PlayerHub yet.

4. Go

Go has no moving pieces. Two players place black and white stones on the intersections of a grid, usually 19 by 19, with 13 by 13 and 9 by 9 boards for beginners. You surround territory and capture stones that are fully surrounded. The player with more territory wins. It is the oldest of these games, invented in China more than 2,500 years ago. Our best board games for 2 players list has a short Go entry.

5. Reversi (Othello)

Reversi is played on an 8 by 8 board with discs that flip colour when you trap them in a line. The lead changes hands often, because having the most discs early is not always good, and the corners are the safest places. See how to play Reversi.

Play it: Reversi Multiplayer has player vs player and player vs computer on three levels. Othello Reversi has an AI with variable strength.

6. Tafl (Hnefatafl)

Tafl is a family of Northern European games played from roughly the 4th to the 12th century, before chess replaced them. The two sides are not equal: a king and defenders start in the middle, and a larger force attacks. The king wins by escaping to the edge or a corner. Pieces are captured by sandwiching them between two enemy pieces. The sizes vary by version: Tablut is 9 by 9 with 8 defenders against 16 attackers, and Brandubh is 7 by 7 with 5 against 8. Its feel is closest to chess for people who like attacking a king.

7. Halma and Ugolki

Halma is a race game on a square board where pieces step or leap over others, and good players chain several jumps into one long move. Ugolki, also called Corners, is a close cousin. The aim is to move all your pieces into the opponent's starting corner before they do the same.

Play it: Ugolki - Halma. The game page lists local play on one device, a match against the computer, or an online game, and different board configurations. Look at the menu to see what is offered.

8. Clonium

Clonium is about capturing your opponent's cells until one player is left. The rules are simple, and combinations produce explosions that take over more of the board. It plays a bit like a puzzle for two.

Play it: Clonium, against the computer or a friend in 2 player mode.

9. Chess itself, in other forms

If you want to stay with chess but change the pace, play on a timer or try a different opponent. Master Chess Multiplayer has three computer levels and shows where each piece can go. See how to play chess for beginners and chess openings for beginners.

How to choose

• Want the nearest thing to chess? Xiangqi or shogi.
• Want the gentlest step? Checkers.
• Want a different kind of thinking? Go.
• Want a short game with big swings? Reversi.
• Want a free one now? Checkers, Reversi, Clonium or Ugolki.

More ideas are in 2 player strategy games and strategy games.