Eyelet

About this board game

Eyelet is a two-player roll-and-move game played in about 20 minutes, featuring shoelaces threaded through holes in a custom-cut board.

On each turn, any lace may be moved by either player. The lace must move exactly the number of spaces rolled, then be threaded through an empty hole. If a player cannot complete the turn, that player loses.

The central challenge is to maneuver the laces so your opponent has fewer options. A position that looks like a clever trap can still change suddenly: if your opponent escapes, they may be able to hand that trap back to you.

• Two-player strategy: Both players can move any lace, creating constant tactical tension.
• Exact movement: Every roll must be followed precisely before a lace is threaded through an empty hole.
• Changing board state: Holes become scarcer while the laces grow shorter.

Eyelet takes only a minute to learn, yet each match develops its own rhythm. The sound of a shoelace sliding against the board brings a soothing physical quality, while the shrinking supply of holes and shortening laces create a gently nerve-wracking finish.

Every game also leaves behind a unique, visually appealing crisscross of blue and pink laces. Each lace has a knot carefully tied by hand by designer Amabel Holland, publisher Mary Holland, or one of their friends, giving the game an especially tactile character.

Simple, strange, and sprightly, Eyelet turns a small set of movement rules into an evolving puzzle of restriction, escape, and reversal.