Objective: Be the first player to create a row of four vertical, horizontal, or diagonal pieces that share at least one common characteristic.

Number of Players: 2 players

Playing Time: Around 15-20 minutes

Components:

• Game board (optional, but can be helpful for visualization)

• 16 wooden playing pieces - Each piece has four distinct characteristics:

  • Color (light or dark)

  • Height (tall or short)

  • Shape (round or square)

  • Solidity (solid or hollow)
    

Setup:

1. Scatter the Pieces: Place all 16 wooden pieces in a random pile or arrange them in a visually appealing way next to the board (if using one).
   

Gameplay:

The game is played in turns, with players taking turns in clockwise order. Here's what happens on a typical turn:

1. Choose a Piece: On your turn, select any one of the available wooden pieces from the pile or board.

2. Offer to Your Opponent:  This is the unique twist of Quarto!  Instead of placing the chosen piece yourself, you present it to your opponent.

3. Opponent Places the Piece: Your opponent must then take the offered piece and place it on any empty space on the game board. They have no choice but to accept and place the piece you selected.
   

Creating Lines and Winning:

• As pieces are placed on the board, keep an eye out for rows (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) of four pieces that share at least one common characteristic. This could be a row of all tall pieces, all dark pieces, all round pieces, and so on.

• The critical aspect is that your opponent, by having to place the piece you offer, might inadvertently create a winning row for you. So, you need to think strategically about both the piece you choose and where your opponent might be forced to place it.

• The first player to create a winning row of four pieces with a shared characteristic wins the game!
  

Shouting "Quarto" (Optional Rule):

• Some variations allow the winning player to shout "Quarto!" as soon as they realize they have created a winning row.

• If the opponent doesn't catch the winning row and doesn't call "Quarto!" before their next turn begins, then the first player wins.

• If the opponent notices the winning row and shouts "Quarto!" before the first player does, then the opponent wins! This adds a bit of excitement and observation to the game.
  

Additional Notes:

• Simple Rules, Deep Strategy:  While the core gameplay is easy to learn, effectively choosing pieces and anticipating your opponent's placements creates a surprising amount of strategic depth.

• Abstract and Replayable:  Due to the lack of a theme and the random nature of piece selection, Quarto offers high replayability and can be enjoyed by players of all ages who appreciate abstract strategy games.