Quarto was invented by Blaise Müller, a Swiss mathematician, and published by the French company Gigamic in 1991. It was Gigamic's first game. It won a designers' prize in Paris in 1989, before it was ever on sale, and went on to collect awards across Europe and North America in the early 1990s, including the Mensa Select label in 1993. In 1998 Luc Goossens solved it by computer: with perfect play, it's a draw.
About us: we make Quads, an independent game built on the same hand-your-opponent-the-piece mechanic as Quarto. It isn't affiliated with Gigamic or the makers of Quarto.
The inventor
Quarto was "invented by Swiss mathematician Blaise Muller", in the words of Wikipedia. His name is also spelled Müller, as in a 1994 review in the Swiss maths-teaching journal Math-Ecole, which noted: "Le concepteur, Blaise Müller, est suisse. L'éditeur, Gigamic S.A., est français." (The designer, Blaise Müller, is Swiss. The publisher, Gigamic S.A., is French.) That review is republished by the IREM of Grenoble. Gigamic still credits him as the author on its Quarto page.
Timeline
- 1989Quarto wins the Dé d'Or des Créateurs de Jeux in Paris, a prize for game designers, two years before it goes on sale (Wikipedia). The 1994 Math-Ecole review describes it as the "dé d'or du concours international de jeu de Boulogne-Billancourt".
- 1991Gigamic is founded in Wimereux, on France's Côte d'Opale, by three brothers, and Quarto is its first game (Tesla Mag). Gigamic has published it ever since.
- 1992A run of European awards: Oscar du Jouet (Paris), Jouet de l'année (Brussels), Super As d'Or (Cannes) and a Benelux Toy Award.
- 1993Mensa Select and a Parents' Choice award in the US, Game of the Year in Italy and the Netherlands, and a place on the Spiel des Jahres selection list in Germany.
- 1994Math-Ecole reviews it for teachers as "un nouveau jeu qui, selon nous, a un bel avenir": a new game which, in our view, has a fine future.
- 1995–1997Picked for the Games magazine "Games 100" three years running.
- 1998Luc Goossens solves Quarto by computer. Neither player can force a win.
- 2026Wikipedia reports that the solution was corroborated again.
Award details are from Wikipedia's list and Gigamic's own page. Where the two differ, we've noted it below.
Awards
Gigamic lists six awards on its Quarto page:
| Award | Year (per Gigamic) |
|---|---|
| Super As d'Or | 1992 |
| Mensa Select | 1993 |
| Parents' Choice Award | 1993 |
| Spiel des Jahres selection list (Auswahlliste) | 1993 |
| Pion de Platine | not given |
| Vuoden Perhepeli, Adult Game of the Year (Finland) | 2001 |
Wikipedia's longer list adds the 1989 Dé d'Or, the 1992 Oscar du Jouet, Jouet de l'année and Benelux Toy Award, Game of the Year awards in Italy and the Netherlands (1993), two Canadian awards (1994), the Games 100 (1995–1997) and Parents' Choice "Top 25 games in 25 years" (2004). It dates the Finnish Game of the Year to 2004, while Gigamic gives 2001.
The idea that made it
Rows of four were nothing new. What made Quarto different is that you never choose your own piece. Your opponent picks it for you, and you then pick theirs. The Math-Ecole review put it this way: "Habituellement, dans ce type de jeu d'alignement, le joueur choisit la pièce et l'endroit où il va la déposer. Au Quarto, c'est l'adversaire qui vous donne la pièce à poser." (Usually, in this kind of alignment game, the player chooses the piece and where to put it. In Quarto, your opponent gives you the piece to place.)
Two more design choices hold it together:
- One shared set. Neither player owns any pieces, which makes Quarto an impartial game in game-theory terms. Wikipedia notes this.
- Four traits, 16 pieces. Each piece is tall or short, light or dark, round or square, solid or hollow, with every combination exactly once. That turns a 4×4 board into a logic puzzle. The math behind the pieces is surprisingly deep.
The review also praised the physical game: the board and pieces were "en charme massif", solid hornbeam, and the rules fit on one column in seven languages. It also noted that the rules came with variants "pour débutants et pour joueurs avertis" (for beginners and experienced players). Today, many editions include a 2×2 square rule as an option, according to Wikipedia. Our guide to the square variant measures what it changes.
Editions
Gigamic's page lists Quarto in its Classic format and notes that it "existe en version Mini". It also mentions Quarto Access, an edition for blind and visually impaired players that relies on touch and memory. The box is marked for 2 players, ages 8 and up, with games of 10 to 20 minutes.
Quarto today
More than three decades on, Quarto is still in Gigamic's catalogue. It also appears on lists of solved games, because it's small enough for a computer to solve. Researchers keep returning to it, including a 2025 TU Graz bachelor's thesis that set out to ultra-strongly solve Quarto. You can play it online on several sites, which we compare in where to play Quarto online. Its mechanic has also inspired other games, including our own, Quads.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented Quarto?
Blaise Müller (also written Muller), a Swiss mathematician. The game is published by Gigamic, a French company.
When did Quarto come out?
Gigamic published Quarto in 1991; it was the company's first game. It had already won a game designers' prize, the Dé d'Or, in Paris in 1989.
What awards has Quarto won?
Among others: the Super As d'Or (1992), Mensa Select (1993), a Parents' Choice Award (1993) and a place on the Spiel des Jahres selection list (1993).
Is Quarto still made?
Yes. Gigamic still sells Quarto, in a classic and a mini edition, plus Quarto Access for blind and visually impaired players.