Board games for two

[ArtemisBean]

DH and I urgently need to overhaul our board game collection. We haven't played together for a long time thanks to babies/toddlers and exhausted evenings, but this Christmas we want to bring back the tradition. Give me your best recommendations for board games that two grown-ups can play!

Backgammon

Not a board game as such, Jaipur - I bought it for DH for his birthday earlier this year and it's brilliant fun for 2 players.

Hive is a good 2 player game and Azul can also be played with just 2 players.

Pandemic and Azul are both great fun with 2 players.

DH and I enjoy Dominion, though it is better with more people.

Yy to the above. Ill add Lords of waterdeep and splendour

Codenames duet

I was going to say japur too. Fun for two players

Backgammon
Chess
Checkers
Brain master (not really a board game)

Othello

Jaipur, Targi, Watergate, Patchwork, Azul, Carcassonne, King Domino. Slightly heavier games - Castles of Burgundy, Concordia. Concordia, Targi and Agricola are our faves.

Takenoko is fun. You have to cultivate a Japanese garden and raise a panda. It's competitive but not tit for tat which I hate in some 2 player versions of games

Also carcasonne and blokus work well

Oh my gosh these are brilliant, thank you! I've never heard of most of these. Clearly it's time DH and I upped our game! (geddit..?)

Pandemic

Also loving these suggestions. Great idea for Christmas gifts.
Jaipur looks really complicated. Will look at a few if the other suggestions.

I was also going to say Jaipur. It’s not complicated and the instructions are set out so well. I love that game - was just playing it with my 7 year old earlier.

I am going to get codenames duet this year.

The classic Mastermind: coloured pegs in rows game.
Pass the pigs or Yahtzee: not a board game but good fun!

Yahtzee.

We love Azul in our house. It plays really well with 2 people and is beautiful too.

Boggle.

We love Azul in our house. It works really well with 2 players (or up to 4) and it's also just really pretty!

DD got Planet for her birthday- you compete to make a planet that's hospitable to various animals.
We also enjoy Discovering Europe.

Maponimos are quite fun.

Yahtzee
Blockers
Othello

Splendor - up to four players but works just as well with two.

Rummicub