Who knows games (board and network) for learning to program?

Question

IT education

For some time I have been teaching children the basics of algorithms and programming. With the youngest we play an offline game of my own "development" (a labyrinth of desks and chairs in the classroom + signs with robot commands on a magnetic board). For older children - I use Piktomir. And it’s as if they haven’t grown up to Idol yet (although we also study it at school - grades 8-9).
And now I would like for the younger ones (grades 2-4, approximately, 8-11 years old) to diversify classes. Now I'm starting to introduce board games into my classes, while I've looked at "Progers" and "Battle of the Golems". I really liked the first one, the second one is not quite suitable for grades 2-4 (cycles and branching are tight for beginners).
And now - actually a question. Who knows worthwhile board games of a similar theme (if you tell me free, available for printing, it will generally be super, because a crowd of children is guaranteed to sway decks of cards of any quality, and finances will not allow buying regularly.
And the second question - does anyone know educational games (teaching programming, of course) in which there is the possibility of some kind of competition on the local network?

Answer 1

Chess, checkers.
It is simply useful for children to play games that teach them to calculate moves in advance, and the longer the options are calculated, the better the ability to operate with large amounts of data and concentration develop.

Answer 2

1. lightbot.com ( w3bsit3-dns.com ) - video
2. snek.app

Answer 3

There are already modern games that children stick to.
1) Awesome game for kids, but paid
https://store.steampowered.com/app/593330/Algotica...
2) Game in 3d, but mathematical puzzles. There is a free beta
https://triseum.com/variant-limits/
3) Also an interesting game Also a free beta
https://luden.io/wtl/
4) Well, here's a fun one on the blockchain
https://cryptozombies.io
5) Still interesting, but it's more for adults and paid
https://store.steampowered.com/app/504210/SHENZHEN_IO/
I sometimes play them myself.

Answer 4

In Golem Battle, it is not necessary to use cycles, branches, and other complex structures - "regular" movement and action cards are enough for the game. But unlike Proggers, there is something to "occupy" children by adding more complex algorithmic constructions, subroutines and logic. Plus, a game party can last only 10-15 minutes, which is often important in the classroom.