Scarne on Teeko by John Scarne

Teeko was the most successful game Scarne invented. There were many Teeko clubs and tournaments in the US and abroad. Even Orson Welles was an avid Teeko player. Despite its initial success and clever game design, Teeko has fallen out of favor and only a small fan community remains and plays Teeko today.

Teeko reminds me on the game 4-in-a-row since winning patterns are four in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally, as well as four pieces in a square. But since pieces can be moved after the initial placement phase, it borrows from checkers and chess. It is also quite similar to the German game “Mühle” which has an initial placement phase as well as a move phase, but is played on a different board and if a 3-in-a-row combination is achieved an opponents piece can be removed.