Yinsh

If you don't know about the GIPF series of abstract boardgames for two players, then YINSH would be a great place to start. Although currently hard to get hold of, it is worth both the effort and expense.The game itself is an exercise in organised chaos: after just a few turns, the board looks like a complete mess, but there is usually method inside that madness as the simple objective to connect five tokens of one's own colour is easily achievable early in the game, while keeping an eye on your opponent's plans less so. When a player does complete a line of five, his ability to complete the next one is lessened, hence giving an advantage to the player who is behind.Such an elegant and unobtrusive catch-up mechanism allied to a very solid abstract game takes YINSH from just very good to a great.