This strategy was used for the world speed record of 2048, which reached the final tile in 1 minute and 34 seconds. [3] X Research source
Keep an eye on this row, and refill gaps that appear whenever possible, without shifting the corner tile.
Choose a tile next to the trapped tile, and plan on how to combine it. If it’s a large tile, you may need to plan multiple moves ahead to do this. Once it’s set up with an equal tile next to it, swipe so the tile you’ve been planning to combine is the one that moves. Alternatively, try to create a gap in the row with the small, trapped tile, then shift left and right until it is positioned over a tile it can combine with. This will not typically work well on a crowded board.
In some copycat versions of the game, you can make a move that does nothing, and a random tile will still appear. In this case, you theoretically never need to move your tile from the corner, but it still may be necessary if your screen is in danger of being filled.
Swipe the screen up, down, left, or right to move all number tiles in that direction. Each tile moves in that direction until it hits the wall or another tile. (Use your arrow keys in the computer version. ) Each time you make a move, a new 2 or 4 tile appears in an empty spot in a row or column that was moved last move.
This tactic works best when the corner is part of a row you keep permanently filled. This lets you move the tiles left to right without dislodging your high-value tile.
