Hobbies
Mind & strategy
Games and pursuits decided by thinking rather than by doing.
Nothing written up in this category yet
These activities are classified and searchable, and the hobby finder can already recommend them. We have not written them up in depth yet.
Also in this category
Classified but not yet written up.
34 activities in the catalogue.
Abstract strategy games
HobbyPerfect-information games with no theme — hex, hive, twixt and their relatives.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Backgammon
HobbyA race game of dice and doubling, where equity matters more than luck.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Capture the flag security puzzles
HobbySolving deliberately vulnerable systems as timed puzzles, on platforms built for the purpose.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chess
HobbyThe classical two-player strategy game, playable in a park or a tournament.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chess boxing
SportAlternating rounds of speed chess and boxing, won by checkmate, knockout or the clock.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chess problems
HobbyComposing and solving constructed positions, a discipline distinct from playing games.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chess variants
HobbyPlaying the family of games around chess — Chess960, bughouse, three-check and others.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive programming
HobbySolving algorithmic problems against a clock, individually or in teams, on judged platforms.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Contract bridge
HobbyPartnership trick-taking with bidding as a language of its own.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Correspondence chess
HobbyChess played over days per move, where preparation matters more than clock nerve.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Deck-building games
HobbyBoard games where constructing your engine during play is the game.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Draughts
HobbyA short-rules capture game with far more depth than its reputation.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Eurogames
HobbyStrategy board games built around resource management and low luck rather than direct conflict.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Go
HobbyThe ancient territory game with the simplest rules and the deepest play.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Historical wargaming
HobbyRefighting real battles with miniatures and rules that model period tactics.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hnefatafl
HobbyThe Norse tafl family — asymmetric board games with a besieged king and unequal sides.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Janggi
HobbyKorean chess, played on the lines of the board with a distinctive palace and cannon.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mancala
HobbyA family of seed-sowing board games played across Africa and Asia for centuries.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Memory sport
HobbyCompetitive memorisation of cards, numbers and names using loci and encoding systems.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mental calculation
HobbyTraining fast arithmetic by method rather than by memory, with its own competitive circuit.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Nine men’s morris
HobbyA medieval mill game found scratched into cathedral cloisters across Europe.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Othello
HobbyA minute to learn and a lifetime to master, on an eight-by-eight board of flipping discs.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Play-by-mail gaming
HobbyLong-form games conducted by post or email over months, with turns rather than sessions.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Poker
HobbyBetting games decided by incomplete information and long-run decision quality.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Puzzle setting
HobbyCraftConstructing crosswords, logic puzzles or cryptics, which is a craft with its own conventions.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Recreational mathematics
HobbyExploring mathematics for pleasure — tilings, number curiosities, paradoxes and constructions.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Score orienteering
SportNavigation events scored by controls visited within a time limit.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shogi
HobbyJapanese chess, where captured pieces change sides and return to the board.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Solo board gaming
HobbyBoard games designed to be played alone against a system, a fast-growing corner of the hobby.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Solo wargaming
HobbyPlaying wargames against a system rather than an opponent.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Speedcubing
HobbySolving twisty puzzles as fast as possible, using learned algorithm sets.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sudoku & logic puzzles
HobbySolving number-placement and logic grids by deduction alone.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sungka
HobbyThe Philippine sowing game, played on a sixteen-hole board with simultaneous opening moves.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Xiangqi
HobbyChinese chess, played on the intersections with a river across the middle of the board.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet