Hive

Having grown up playing Chess I still appreciate it as a timeless classic, but any day of any week I would rather play Hive. It takes the same strategic depth of Chess and tightens it into a shorter, easier to learn game that is more intuitive to play and more enticing to lose. In Chess, I believe you have to play against someone at your own skill level to have fun, unless you masochistically love to beat or be beaten by people who are beyond your skill level. Chess is a commitment, whereas Hive is a game for anybody even slightly interested in strategy.

I think it’s the speed of Hive that is its greatest asset. In as little as the 20-minute playtime you've already learnt a great deal about your next game. You have an idea of what went wrong, what went right, what to watch out for, what to do sooner, all within a single game. Meanwhile, games often feel very push-and-pull, where you can play defensively or offensively depending on the situation and respond to your opponent’s plans. It takes, what I believe is, the best part of chess – always thinking a few steps ahead and asking yourself why your opponent moved that piece there – and distils it into this fast, fun, compelling little package.

I also have to mention the heavy, delightfully tactile pieces. The components feel satisfying to place and move, and I the travel bag is a great motivator  to take this boardless game outdoors or to cafes. There is also the Hive Pocket edition, which is smaller and comes with 2 of the 3 Hive expansion pieces (which are excellent; you can also buy these separately in the larger size). I personally prefer the smaller pieces but either will make an absolutely fantastic addition to any strategist's collection, Chess-lovers or Chess-haters alike.