OK. I don't consider myself an expert at the game, but apparently my ELO claims otherwise.
So, assuming that you are using that guide as a starting point, I would change this:
forget everything that guide said. Totally and completely try to remove it from your mind. The good that it mentions is drowned out by stuff that will not work.
[Actually, this seems to stem from instruction 2, which indicates that one can choose an attribute to win with. That seems to make one focus on one attribute, which I've found to be a way to almost guarantee losing.]
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Edit. After thinking further on this, I think that this instruction is what irritated me the most. If you decide "I'm going to win with lights,", that pretty much means "I'm going to lose with darks, hollows, solids, squares, circles, talls, and shorts." For every win property, there are 7 lose properties. While one would think that in a 2-player game there are equal ways to win and lose, it seems there are seven times as many losing methods as there are winning methods.
end edit
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Now, some advice.
Er, a note first -- some of this advice may not transfer over to the advanced version (2x2 square sharing the same property being a winning move in addition to a line of 4). I haven't won consistently at that level.
Rule 1. Realize that every piece is (potentially) a winning piece. Don't focus on such things as "this piece is tall," because one tends to forget that that same piece is also light, square, and solid.
For any piece, there are:
4 pieces that share exactly 3 properties
6 pieces that share exactly 2 properties
4 pieces that share exactly 1 property, and only
1 piece that shares no properties.
Meaning that for any single piece, there are 14 others that share at least 1 property.
Make sure to keep track of all 4 properties. It is really easy to remember 3 of them, and forget about the 4th.
Rule 2. Know always where properties can potentially win. For the basic game, there are 10 winning areas (4 rows, 4 columns, 2 diagonals). For the advanced game, there are an additional 9 square areas. In the basic game, each piece will be in 2 or 3 of these areas, while in the advanced game it is 4 or 7 areas. As soon as 2 pieces are in the same area, identify all the ways that something could possibly win there. This is critical to know when there are 3 pieces in an area (a property being set up to win).
Rule 3. Know how many pieces *cannot* win. For example, say lights and solids are set up to win (3 in an area already). Don't count how many darks there are, and add it to how many hollows there are, as you'll include light hollows and dark solids. Only count how many non-light non-solids there are (or, said another way, *both* dark and solid). One wants to be able to give the last non-winning piece to the opponent, forcing them to give a winning piece back.
Rule 4. You have one move at a time, not a place the piece move followed by a chose a piece move. IE, whenever you place a piece, you should already know there is at least one piece available that you can give that cannot win. It is disheartening to realize that your placement set up both lights and darks, or that it set up both circles and hollows (and the only pieces left are either circular or hollow).
OK, I'll admit, these are more mechanics of the game rather than strategy.
As far as that goes, I've only discovered that it is better to play to not lose than it is to play to win. Know that if an area is set up to win, and you get the last non-winning piece, you must use that piece to block the win. Don't get caught in a situation where there are 2 winning areas, and you need to block both of them with only one piece. When it is your opponent's move, still be analyzing the board. Figure out what the winning properties are for each place that they could put the piece, and if that would guarantee you a win no matter what piece they gave you. Then, don't count on them putting it there....
OK. Long winded to get to the point of saying "I don't know a winning strategy." But in a nutshell, 2 tenants that I play by:
1 -- Keep repeating all 4 properties, to not lose track of one of them. Is it light/dark? solid/hollow? tall/short? circle/square? Know this for each area and piece.
2 -- Play not to lose, rather than to win.
And, standard disclaimer. This is only what I've seen. I again do not consider myself an expert, and have lost badly to some opponents. (Yeah, still fresh in my mind is the loss I had 6 pieces in. That stung.
http://en.boardgamearena.com/#!gamereview?table=7425275 At least the rematch lasted longer...) No warranty, express or implied. Your mileage may vary.
Better players may wish to comment, and also say how poor this guide is also.
