Board & Strategy
Traditional board games against the computer.
About board & strategy games
Board games are contests of pure reasoning. Both players see everything on the board, there are no hidden cards, and the only thing that separates a win from a loss is the quality of the moves. Some of these games are thousands of years old; all of them still reward the same skills — looking ahead, spotting threats and making plans your opponent can't stop.
This section brings traditional board games to your browser, played against a computer opponent or against a friend on the same device. Line games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and its Ultimate variant or dropping discs to connect four are quick to learn and surprisingly deep. Capture and territory games like checkers and disc-flipping reversi turn on position and timing. Chess, the most studied game of all, rewards a lifetime of practice, and dice games mix luck with decisions about risk.
Every game here offers several difficulty levels, so a beginner can win against the Easy computer while an experienced player looks for a real challenge on Hard. The computer opponents are written specifically for zyarcade and run inside your browser, and the boards and pieces use our own original designs rather than copying any commercial edition. Moves can be made with a mouse, a touch screen or the keyboard, and most games include undo and a hint button for when you want to learn from a position.
If you are learning, play a few games on Easy with hints switched on and watch which moves the hint prefers; then turn the hints off and try to find those moves yourself. Most improvement in board games comes from noticing threats one move earlier than before, and a patient computer opponent is an ideal practice partner for exactly that.
Each game page covers the full rules in plain language, practical strategy for new and improving players, the history of the game and the most popular variants. Choose a game, pick a difficulty and make the first move.