COMBOS · LESSON 2 OF 3
Side versus centre
AFTER THIS GUIDEYou can recognise the two layouts and explain the extra construction and survival questions created by each.
Move the channel, change the jobs.
Side 4-Wide places the working channel at an edge. In Stacking Lab’s right-side version, you build six columns on the left and clear through the four on the right. Centre 4-Wide divides the supporting stack across both sides of a central channel.
A single wide bank can be simpler to organise than two narrow banks. A central channel, however, can leave more space near the spawn area in some rulesets while the outer stacks grow. The exact survival benefit depends on spawn and top-out rules, hidden rows and incoming garbage.
Do not infer safety from a screenshot with tall outer walls. A piece still needs to spawn and reach its target. If the game locks or tops out differently, a layout that survives in one client may fail in another.
The trainer offers a side-channel 4-Wide coach. The centre diagram below is a layout comparison, not a claim that a separate centre coach exists. Learn the common residual decisions here, then study centre construction in a game or tool that supports that exercise.
Count the banks and the channel
Read the side layout
Count six filled columns and four empty working columns. Follow the route from above to the bottom of the channel. This diagram is a cross-section, not a completed combo opening.
Read the centre layout
Now find the four working columns between two outer banks. Each bank needs useful landings while the middle stays accessible. One bank becoming too high can restrict the incoming queue.
Compare a next-piece decision
Imagine an O arriving while one narrow bank is jagged. Where could it land without covering the channel? That question exposes the construction cost hidden by a clean finished picture.
The empty columns show the channel’s position and width. This is a cross-section, not a complete playable combo setup.
The empty columns show the channel’s position and width. This is a cross-section, not a complete playable combo setup.
Common mistakes
Assuming centre means immune to top-out
Spawn collisions and lock-out rules still apply. Hidden space is not unlimited storage.
Copying only the channel width
A playable combo setup also needs the residual and supported banks. Four empty columns alone are not a chain.
Ignoring the bank you are not using
In a split layout, neglecting one side can force the next pieces into the channel before you intend to clear.
TAKE IT TO THE BOARD
Read the side layout from three positions
- Open 4-Wide with Gravity Off. During building, stop at three different heights.
- At each point, identify the next two bank placements and the channel entrance.
- If a placement would cross the channel, explain whether it is a deliberate clearing move or an accidental cover. Continue only after you can tell the difference.
What counts as progress? You distinguish building the bank from entering the clearing phase and understand what would change in a split-bank layout.
Open practice ↗Opens the mode. Set Gravity and NEXT yourself; your current settings are kept.
Keep these terms nearby
NEXT IN THIS PATH
Surviving combo breaks
Find a playable board when the next piece will not continue the chain.
Read the next guide →Further reading
For setup variations and additional examples, see FOUR: 4-Wide. The practice task here is original to Stacking Lab.