Quads Blog

Research and data

• Research Quarto by the numbers: 26 stats about the game

  Exact counts and simulations: 536 of 1,820 four-piece groups share a trait, the board has 32 symmetries, and more.

• Research How strong is each Quads AI level? We played 10,000 games

  A round robin between Rookie, Amateur, Skilled, Master and Grandmaster, with every head-to-head result.

• Research Which squares matter in Quarto? A cell-by-cell analysis

  Why corners and centre cells are interchangeable under classic rules, and where computer games are actually won.

• Rules The Quarto square variant: what the 2×2 rule changes

  Nine extra winning shapes, measured on random boards, solved endgames and real games.

• Guide How long does a game of Quarto take?

  Minutes from the publisher, and placements from a million random games and 8,000 computer games.

• Reference Solved games: which board games have been solved?

  Tic-tac-toe, Connect Four, checkers, Quarto and more: results with perfect play, who solved them and when.

Articles

• Guide What is Quarto? The board game explained

  The pieces, the hand-off turn, how to win, the variants and quick facts, in one place.

• History Who invented Quarto? The history of the board game

  Blaise Müller, Gigamic, a 1989 designers' prize and a computer solution in 1998.

• Math The math of Quarto: 16 pieces as a 4D hypercube

  Binary numbers, Hamming distance and the tesseract behind the 16 pieces.

• Comparison Quads vs Quarto: what is the same and what is different

  Same pieces and turn, one rule difference, and how a wooden board game and a free app compare.

• Comparison Quarto vs SET: two games built on four traits

  Two values per trait against three: matching rules, computed odds and how they play.

• Reference What is an abstract strategy game?

  The definition, the five traits, impartial vs partisan games, and examples by how you win.

• Families Is Quarto good for kids? Ages, skills and how to teach it

  The right age, what it practises, and a four-step way to teach it.

• Printable Printable Quarto board and pieces

  Two free sheets for A4 or Letter: a 4×4 board and 16 labelled pieces to cut out.

• Reference Quarto glossary: 18 terms every player should know

  Gift, safe piece, threat, dead line, squeeze and more, defined in plain English.

• Reference The 16 Quarto pieces explained

  A chart of all 16 pieces and their four traits, with the counts that matter when you choose a piece to hand over.

• Guide Games like Quarto: 8 abstract strategy games to play next

  Quixo, Pylos, Quoridor, Gobblet, Hive, Santorini, Connect Four and Quads, with what each one shares with Quarto.

• Comparison Quarto vs Connect Four vs tic-tac-toe

  Boards, pieces, winning lines and what perfect play leads to in each game, side by side.

• How-to How to make a Quarto set at home

  Three ways to make the 16 pieces from paper, blocks or bottle caps, with a checklist of every piece.

• Guide Where to play Quarto online: every option compared

  Browser games, computer opponents, online multiplayer and mobile apps, checked site by site, including which old favourites have disappeared.

• Guide Two-player games you can play on one phone (no Wi-Fi needed)

  What makes a good pass-and-play game, and the classics that work best on a single screen.

Guides

• Strategy The Quarto endgame: when safe pieces run out

  How fast safe pieces disappear, measured over thousands of games, and how to count them.

• Puzzles Quarto puzzles: 12 positions to solve, with answers

  Win-now, safe-piece and squeeze puzzles from real games, each with one computer-checked answer.

• Rules How to play Quads: the complete rules

  The 16 pieces, how a turn works, every winning shape, and how Quads compares with classic Quarto rules.

• Strategy Strategy: how to never hand over the winning piece

  Read threats, keep a safe piece in reserve, and squeeze your opponent. Every example was checked by the game engine.

• Play The daily puzzle

  A new position every day, solvable in one or two exact moves. Play it free in your browser.

• Classroom Teaching logic, sets and binary with a 16-piece game

  Four classroom activities for ages 7 and up.