How it’s played: Your task in 7 Wonders Duel is to create a more magnificent civilization than your opponent does, something you accomplish by building wonders like the pyramids, the hanging gardens, and the colossus. Of all our picks, this is the one that feels the most like a modern multiplayer board game, but pared down to work perfectly with two players. The game is played over the course of three rounds (or “ages,” as the game puts it). In each age, building cards are arranged into a pattern in the middle of the play surface, some faceup and others facedown. Players draft building cards and either build them in their city, discard them to earn coins, or use them to construct a wonder. Each building or wonder you have in your city not only earns you points or gold, but also provides resources that make it easier to build more and more complex buildings, earning you even more points and gold.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-two-player-board-games/