During the Mind Games competition, Mensa members play and rate new board and card games which are submitted by publishers. The five Mensa Select games are chosen based on a variety of categories including aesthetics, instructions, originality, play appeal and play value.
American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top two percent on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. The organization has more than 57,000 members in the United States and more than 110,000 members around the world.
Here's a year-by-year look at all of the board games and card games to win the Mensa Select seal.
2009
Cornerstone (designed by by Matt Mette and Mike Thompson, published by Good Company Games)
Dominion (Donald X. Vaccarino, Rio Grande Games)
Marrakech (Dominique Ehrhard, Fundex Games)
Stratum (José L. Navas, Family Games)
Tic-Tac-Ku (designer not credited, ColorKu)
2008
AmuseAmaze (HL Games)
Eye Know (Wiggles 3D)
Jumbulaya (Platypus Games)
Pixel (Educational Insights)
Tiki Topple (Gamewright)
2007
Gemlok (Pywacket Games)
Gheos (Z-Man Games)
Hit or Miss (Gamewright)
Qwirkle (Mindware)
Skullduggery (Outset Media Games)
2006
Deflexion (Deflexion)
Hive (Smart Zone)
Keesdrow (Pywacket Games)
Pentago (Mindtwister USA)
Wits & Wagers (North Star Games)
2005
DaVinci's Challenge (Briarpatch)
Ingenious (Fantasy Flight Games)
Loot (Gamewright)
Niagara (Rio Grande Games)
Zendo (Looney Labs)
2004
10 Days in the USA / 10 Days in Africa (Out of the Box Publishing)
Basari (Out of the Box Publishing)
The Bridges of Shangri-La (Uberplay)
Rumis (Educational Insights)
Yinsh (Rio Grande Games)
2003
Blokus (Educational Insights)
Cityscape (Out of the Box Publishing)
Fire & Ice (Out of the Box Publishing)
Octiles (Out of the Box Publishing)
Transamerica (Rio Grande Games)
2002
Curses! (Play All Day Games)
Dvonn (Rio Grande Games)
The Legend of Landlock (Gamewright)
Muggins! (Muggins Math)
Smart Mouth (Binary Arts)
2001
Brainstrain (Chuckle Games)
Dao (Play Dao)
Metro (Queen)
Shapes Up! (Educational Insights)
ThePollGame (thepollgame)
2000
3 Stones (Enginuity Games)
Finish Lines (Games for All Reasons)
Imaginiff (Buffalo Games)
Time's Up (R&R Games)
Zertz (Rio Grande Games)
1999
Apples to Apples (Out of the Box Publishing)
Bollox (Cadaco)
Doubles Wild (Enginuity Games)
Fluxx (Looney Labs)
Quiddler (Set Enterprises)
1998
Avalam (Great American Trading Co.)
Cube Checkers (DCP Limited)
Kram (Du Botting Originals)
Spy Alley (Spy Alley Partners)
Wadjet (Timbuk II)
1997
Hattrick! (U.S. Games Systems)
Quoridor (Great American Trading Co.)
Rush Hour (ThinkFun)
Sagarian (Sagarian)
Stops (Stops)
1996
Pirateer (Mendocino Game Co.)
QuadWrangle (Great American Trading Co.)
Rat A Tat Cat (Gamewright)
Take 6 (U.S. Games Systems)
Touché (Wayne Bobette Enterprises)
1995
Continuo (U.S. Games Systems)
Duo (U.S. Games Systems)
Quixo (Great American Trading Co.)
The Great Dalmuti (Wizards of the Coast)
Wordspin Scramble (Geospace Products Co.)
1994
Char (Bechter Productions)
Chung Toi (House of Chung Enterprises)
Down Fall (Western Publishing)
Magic: the Gathering (Wizards of the Coast)
Pyraos (Great American Trading Co.)
1993
Farook (Amuse, Inc.)
Inklings (Mattel)
Overturn (Pressman)
Quadrature (Mark Steere)
Quarto (Gigamic)
1992
Kinesis (Cherry Street Games)
Q4 (Abalone Games)
Terrace (Siler Ventures)
Traverse (Educational Insights)
Why Not? (Our Game Co.)
1991
Clue: The Great Museum Caper (Parker Brothers)
Lapis (Pango)
Master Labyrinth (Ravensburger)
Pyramis (Abalone Games)
Set (Marsha J. Falco, Set Enterprises)
1990
Abalone (Abalone Games)
Scattergories (Milton Bradley)
Taboo (Milton Bradley)
Tri-Bond (Big Fun A Go-Go)
Trivial Pursuit - Genus Edition (Parker Brothers)
