TapeteTapete › Two-player game guide
One phone, two playersTwo-player games on one phone, offline
You do not need two phones or a connection during a game. This guide helps two people in the same room choose between simultaneous action, a shared board and turns with hidden information. Tapete is our app; we explain its games and limitations here.
Choose a game for the moment
Start with four in a row for simple rules, air hockey to move at the same time, or sea battle to work out where the other fleet is hiding. Place your ships privately and pass the phone when prompted. All three games are free.
Keep your hand private
In games with hidden cards, dice or ships, let the privacy screen cover the display before passing the phone. The next player should uncover it once the other person has looked away. An ordinary iPhone does not need to fold. For air hockey, use a stable surface with room on both sides.
Before you travel
Download the app and, if you want the full case, purchase or restore it while connected before travelling. Games work offline; downloading, purchasing and restoring require a connection to Apple. There is no AI opponent or online multiplayer: you need two people together.
- Choose a game and open it on the same device.
- Follow the privacy screen when passing the phone if information is hidden.
- Play a practice round to learn the controls, then swap sides.
Sea battle
Ten by ten, five ships. Placement is private and full screen; combat is face to face: each half shows only its player's shots on the rival sea.
See the fifteen gamesFour in a row
The frame stands on the hinge, drawn twice, once per side. Each player drops pieces from their side and watches them fall.
See the fifteen gamesAir hockey
Each player defends their goal with a finger, always on their own half; the hinge is the centre line. A brass puck, haptics on every hit, first to seven.
See the fifteen gamesTwelve more games with one purchase
The twelve games of the full case unlock with a single purchase, forever and with Family Sharing. No subscription, no ads.
Backgammon
Full board with bar, bearing off, doubles, single, gammon and backgammon wins. Hit checkers rest on the brass of the hinge.
See the fifteen gamesChess with clock
Full rules: castling, en passant, promotion, stalemate, repetition and fifty moves. Five-minute clock plus three seconds a move; closing the phone pauses it.
See the fifteen gamesSpanish draughts
Eight by eight on the light squares, Spanish rules: the king runs the whole diagonal and capturing is compulsory, the most pieces possible.
See the fifteen gamesBrisca
Forty-card Spanish deck of our own design. Three cards in hand, trump in view, counting to 120.
See the fifteen gamesXiangqi
The board lies sideways and the river falls on the fold: five rows on each half, each general's palace on its own side. Traditional characters on the pieces.
See the fifteen gamesShogi
Nine by nine, with a board on each half seen from its player's side and both hands beside it. Captured pieces go to your hand and can be dropped back on your turn; promotion in the far three ranks. Traditional kanji on the pieces.
See the fifteen gamesGo
Shared board centred on the fold. Simple ko, no suicide, two passes end the game, area scoring with 6.5 komi.
See the fifteen gamesDominoes
Seven tiles each and the boneyard on the hinge. Highest double leads; play to a hundred. In book posture the tiles turn face up on their own.
See the fifteen gamesTute
Two-player tute with forced play, melds of twenty and forty, the tute of kings or knights and ten for the last trick.
See the fifteen gamesLiar's dice
Five hidden dice each: in book posture each half shows only its player's dice. Bid, doubt or call spot on; aces are wild.
See the fifteen gamesSecret code
A code of four colours out of six. The code maker sets it in secret, closes the phone and passes it; the other has ten guesses with black and white pegs.
See the fifteen gamesCribbage
A French deck of our own design and the 121-hole board on the fold. Fifteens, pairs, runs and the crib, with the show counted step by step.
See the fifteen gamesFrequently asked questions
Do I need an iPhone Duo to play?
No. Tapete works on any iPhone or iPad with iOS 15 or later. On iPhone Duo the fold is part of the game; elsewhere a "pass the phone" curtain plays the same role.
Can two people play offline on one phone?
Yes. Two people play together on one iPhone or iPad, without an internet connection during games. Sea battle, four in a row and air hockey are free. Buying or restoring the full case requires a connection to the App Store.
Can I try chess before buying?
Yes. Open locked chess and choose Try chess · 6 moves. The trial allows six moves shared between both players, without buying or replacing your saved game.
Can I play against the computer?
No, on purpose. Tapete is for two people sharing one phone, sitting across from each other. No artificial opponent and no online play.
How much does it cost?
Sea battle, four in a row and air hockey are free. The other twelve games unlock with a single purchase, the "Full case", forever and shared with your family. No subscription, no ads.
Published 27 October 2026. A guide by the creator of Tapete.