Four square

History

Four square dates to at least the 1950s. A game called four square is mentioned in newspapers in the northeastern United States at least as far back as the 1950s, but the rules are not explained. A 1953 teacher's manual describes four square with the same rules used today. However, it is possible this game could have evolved from "Jeu de paume", a game popular in France as early as the twelfth century.

Rules

One player occupies each of the 4 squares at a time; the other players wait in line. The player in square 4 serves the ball into another square. Once the ball bounces into a square, the player who occupies that square must hit the ball into another square with their hands, and so on, until someone gets out. Each time a player gets out, that player leaves the court and enters the back of the line and all remaining players advance to the higher numbered square (if applicable). Square 1 is then filled with a new player from the line of awaiting players.

A player may get out as follows:

• Failing to hit the ball into another square
• Allowing the ball to bounce more than once in their own square
• Hitting the ball out of the squares or hitting a line
• Hitting the ball incorrectly such as by holding, catching, or carrying
• Hitting the ball out of turn or committing interference
• Hitting the ball one handed (in some versions of gameplay)

Variations

Four square has inspired other similar games. One example is nine square, which uses a 3-by-3 grid instead of a 2-by-2 grid. The 9 square is the middle and the ball is served from this position. Another version is played similar to the original in that four players occupy their respective spots, but they must keep the ball off the ground like in volleyball.

The game is called King Out in Sweden. A similar schoolyard game is called handball.

World Championships

Since 2005, Bridgton Recreation has sponsored the annual Four Square World Championship in central Maine, bringing together participants from across the United States and internationally in a structured competition. The event includes multiple divisions, such as children’s, adult, and senior categories, and awards the World Champions to winners in each division. Independent news sources note that the championships regularly attract many competitors and spectators, with participation and visibility growing over time. Local and regional media have described the event as one of the more prominent organized four square competitions in the world.

World records

On August 4–5, 2012, a group of 17 Needham High School students and alumni—assisted by 50 other Needham residents at various times—broke the previous world record by playing for 34 hours, the previous record being held by 15 Manchester College students who played the game for 30 hours. The world record was held by eight Argentinean players for 29 hours in 2008, as recognized by Guinness World Records. The Argentinean record was preceded by a group of teens from Youngstown, Ohio, who also played for 29 hours.

References

References

1. "Definition of FOURSQUARE".
2. "PlayWorks - Foursquare".
3. (13 September 1958). "Junior Reporter Club". Uniontown Morning Herald.
4. (18 July 1959). "Crowley Lists Play Schedule For Next Week". Lewiston Daily Sun.
5. (1953). "Primary Manual". Cincinnati Public Schools.
6. "Jefferson City School District".
7. (December 2015). "PDF of Four Square Rules from Silver Falls School District in Oregon".
8. "Castle Squares".
9. [https://castlesports.com/pages/learn-to-play Learn to Play]. Castle Sports. Retrieved on 2021-03-04.
10. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmecPRaL2n0&t=4m52s Visiting my hometown by PewDiePie]. Retrieved on 2019-04-03.
11. "WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP".
12. Charpentier, Joe. (2025-04-06). "'Intense' Four Square World Championships returning to Bridgton".
13. Sweeting, Rory. (2025-04-15). "Four Square World Championship returns to Bridgton".
14. [http://hometownweekly.net/four-square-club-raises-fund-for-charity-with-recordbreaking-game-p8051-146.htm Four Square Club raises fund for charity with record-breaking game - Hometown Weekly] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-10-21 . hometownweekly.net (2012-08-09). Retrieved on 2012-08-15.)
15. [http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-562039 Manchester College students try to break a World Record to raise money for church camp – CNN iReport]. Ireport.cnn.com (2011-02-25). Retrieved on 2011-06-18.
16. (2014-01-24). "Huntington University".