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Quarto (board game)

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Quarto board at start of game

Quarto is a board game for two players invented by Swiss mathematician Blaise Muller.[1] It is published and copyrighted by Gigamic.

The game is played on a 4×4 board.[2] There are 16 unique pieces to play with, each of which is either:

  • tall or short;
  • red or blue (or a different pair of colors, e.g. light- or dark-stained wood);
  • square or circular; and
  • hollow-top or solid-top.

Players take turns choosing a piece which the other player must then place on the board. A player wins by placing a piece on the board which forms a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row of four pieces, all of which have a common attribute (all short, all circular, etc.). A variant rule included in many editions gives a second way to win by placing four matching pieces in a 2×2 square.

Quarto is distinctive in that there is only one set of common pieces, rather than a set for one player and a different set for the other. It is therefore an impartial game.


Analysis

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In 1998 Luc Goossens solved the game (i.e., showed what must occur if both players play perfectly) via computer and found neither player can force a win.[3] He also determined that the earliest winning move (in case the opponent did not play perfectly) can be made when placing the fifth piece and choosing a sixth. The solve was corroborated again in 2026. [4]


Awards

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  • Dé d’Or des Créateurs de Jeux 1989 – Paris, France
  • Oscar du Jouet – Toy Oscar 1992 – Paris, France
  • Jouet de l'année – Game of the Year 1992 – Brussels
  • Super As d'Or Festival International des Jeux – Super Golden Ace 1992 – Cannes, France
  • Toy Award 1992 – Benelux
  • Spiel des Jahres – Game of the Year 1993 nominee – Germany[5]
  • Gioco Dell'anno – Game of the Year 1993 – Italy
  • Speelgoed Vant Jaar – Game of the year 1993 – Netherlands
  • Mensa Select Top 5 Best Games 1993 – US
  • Parent's Choice Gold Award 1993 – US
  • Best Bet of the Canadian Toy Testing Council 1994 – Canada
  • Prix d'Excellence des Consommateurs – Consumer's Toy Award 1994 – Quebec, Canada
  • Games Magazine "Games 100 Selection" 1995 – US
  • Games Magazine "Games 100 Selection" 1996 – US
  • Games Magazine "Games 100 Selection" 1997 – US
  • Game of the Year 2004 – Finland
  • Parent's Choice Top 25 games in 25 years 2004 – US

References

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  1. ↑ "Quarto - Game rules". Ludoteka. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Quarto! Board Game". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Goossens, Luc (10 October 2000), Quarto (strategy), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, archived from the original on 12 October 2004, retrieved 12 July 2009
  4. ↑ Goossens, Luc (May 2026). "Solving Quarto! (again)". Zenodo.
  5. ↑ "Preisträgerarchiv". Spiel des Jahres. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
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