How to play 2048

The board starts with two tiles. Every time you move, all the tiles slide as far as they can in that direction. When two tiles showing the same number collide, they merge into a single tile worth double. A new tile then appears (a 2, or occasionally a 4). The game ends when the board fills up and no merges are left.

On a computer you play with the arrow keys (or WASD). On a phone or tablet you swipe across the board in the direction you want the tiles to travel. The “Undo” button (or the Z key) takes back your last move, and “New game” resets the current board without touching your best score.

Yes. On 2048.cl you can undo your last move with the “Undo” button or the Z key. It is there to fix a slip — including the one that left you with no moves at all: when you lose, undo is still available and you can step back into the game.

You take back one move at a time, and the new tile reappears exactly where it had landed: undoing and replaying the same move will not change your luck. Because undo lets you see how a move turns out before committing to it, games where you use it keep their own best score, separate from your unassisted record.

Getting far is about playing with a plan rather than chasing every merge:

• Pick a corner and keep your largest tile in it; move in two directions most of the time.
• Build a staircase: line the tiles up from largest to smallest towards that corner so merges chain together.
• Do not chase every merge: it often pays to wait until several tiles line up before combining.
• Protect your space: keep empty squares free — a crowded board leaves you no room to recover.