Unblocked Board & Card Games

A board game in a browser has one big advantage over the real thing: nobody loses the dice. Every game on this page sets itself up, enforces the rules and lets you replay in a click. Here is how the thirteen games break down, whether you want a quick round with a friend or a long solo think.

Board & Card Games You Can Play With a Friend

Eight of these let two people share one device. Pick 2 Player (local) in Checkers, Backgammon, Gomoku or Four in a Row, and pass the laptop back and forth. Mancala and Universal Reversi support two players as well.

For bigger groups, Domino seats two to four, and Snakes and Ladders takes up to four people on one screen. Domino even has a Show my tiles button, so players on a shared device can keep their hands private.

Playing Against the Computer

Every two-player game here also has a computer opponent, and most let you choose how tough it is.

• Checkers, Gomoku, Four in a Row and Backgammon offer Easy, Medium and Hard. Backgammon can also suggest a new level after three wins or losses in a row.
• Chess AI is the one to try if you want to improve at chess. You play White, and after each reply the engine reports how many positions it checked and how long it took. A colored bar leans toward the side that is ahead.
• Mancala uses Kalah rules and has seven computer opponents, each with its own style.
• Universal Reversi has a twist: the board wraps around, so a line running off one edge continues on the other. Corners are not safe anymore. It comes in three board sizes.
• Battleboat is solo only. Hide five ships on a 10x10 grid and trade shots with the computer until one fleet sinks.

Solitaire for When You Are On Your Own

Card players get three solitaire games, and they feel nothing alike.

Klondike Solitaire is the familiar seven-column game. It deals one card at a time, lets you cycle the stock as often as you want, and has no timer or score, only a move counter.

FreeCell Solitaire deals all 52 cards face up into eight columns, with four free cells for parking single cards. Since you can see everything, a win comes down to planning.

Spider Solitaire uses two full decks across ten columns. You can choose one, two or four suits, so it works as a gentle game or a hard one. One suit is the place to start.

Short Games Versus Long Ones

If you have five minutes, Four in a Row is the fastest pick, since a round on its seven-by-six grid lasts a few minutes. Snakes and Ladders is quick too, and because a die decides almost everything, anyone can win.

Have a full free period? Chess, Backgammon and four-suit Spider all reward patience. Gomoku sits in the middle: the rule is five in a row on a 15 by 15 board, but spotting threats and setting traps can take a while.

Tips for Winning More Often

1. Use undo to learn. Chess AI, Checkers, Gomoku, Four in a Row and Backgammon let you take back moves, and so do all three solitaires. Try another idea and see how the game changes.
2. Block before you build. In Gomoku and Four in a Row, check whether your opponent has a line forming before you extend your own.
3. Look for chain jumps. In Checkers, captures can link together, so one move can clear several pieces.
4. Empty a column. In Klondike, FreeCell and Spider, an empty column gives you far more freedom than any single card move.
5. Aim for extra turns in Mancala. Under Kalah rules, ending your sowing in your own store gives you another move, so count seeds before you click a bowl.

Devices and Controls

Most of these work well on a phone or tablet, because you just tap pieces and squares. Chess AI and Battleboat are only partly phone-ready since their boards get small, so a laptop is nicer for those two. Many of the games also have full keyboard control: Tab or the arrow keys move between cards or squares, and Enter picks one.

Want more brain work without an opponent? The puzzle games have Sudoku and Mahjong Solitaire. For a bigger battle on a map, try the strategy games.