I had some luck (winning the game, that is) by following this general heuristic: - Default to placing tiles in one corner, so, for example, using Up & Left pri

I had some luck (winning the game, that is) by following this general heuristic: - Default to placing tiles in one corner, so, for example, using Up & Left primarily so that high numbers will accumulate in the upper left corner. - Don't automatically consolidate tiles, but rather, maximally fill out the diagonal half-matrix with 2-4-8-etc... before moving to force a consolidation. Example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aargiwvoyg1shdp/Screen%20Shot%202014-03-11%20at%204.40.16%20PM.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/aargiwvoyg1shdp/Screen%20Shot%2020... - When no Up or Left move is available, move right. Sometimes, this allows for a general consolidation chain reaction to occur, which generally radically empties the board. - repeat - sometimes you'll need to switch corners to the upper right.