Project Video

Original Game

Quarto® is a game published by Gigamic and was invented in 1991 by Blaise Müller. You can enjoy the game without any additional effort by purchasing a copy of the official game. If you want to make your own, continue reading below.

Measurements, Template, & Rules

I’ve put together a free PDF that includes a template for the board, the measurements for all the pieces, and a copy of the rules (the rules are also included further down on the page).

The Board & Pieces

Quarto has 16 pieces – 8 in a dark color, and 8 in a light color. The board has 16 places for the pieces to eventually be placed.

The Rules

Overview

There are 16 game pieces and each piece shares a feature with 7 other pieces: tall or short, dark or light, square or round, solid top or hollow top.

Objective

Get four pieces in a row of any one feature. The row can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

Rules

1. Start with all the pieces off the game board (be sure the hollow pieces are facing right side up).
2. After picking who plays first, the opponent will select a piece to be played and give it to the first player.
3. The first player can play the piece anywhere on the board. He then selects a piece, and hands it to his opponent to play on the board.
4. The play continues back and forth, always with the opponent picking the piece, until someone either wins or the game ends in a draw once all the pieces have been played.

Winning

You win by declaring Quarto on your turn, and by identifying the four pieces in a row. If a player fails to declare Quarto, the opponent may declare it on his turn and win.

Simple Play

Younger players may have an easier time if you limit the playable features to less than all four. For instance, only accept four pieces in a row based on color or allow both height and color.

Advanced play

In advanced play, a square with four pieces sharing a feature is a fourth acceptable way of winning the game.

Gallery