Corner-Locking Strategy

Level: Basic

Anchor your largest tile in one corner.

The most basic — and most powerful — strategy in 2048 is to keep your largest tile locked in one corner of the board (for example, the bottom-left). If a big tile drifts toward the center, it loses chances to merge with other tiles, and the board fills up fast.

Once you've picked a corner, mostly use just two directions (say, down and left) so the tile never has to leave its spot. With the big tile anchored in the corner, you can line up the second-largest tile right next to it to set up the next merge.

Which corner you choose is a matter of preference, but once you decide, staying consistent all the way through is what matters. The corner strategy is the foundation for nearly every other strategy that follows.

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