Just got 17,000 using that technique (figured it out myself).
I've adopted only using up, and left or right, once you get some big tiles it's tempting to try and match them asap, but as soon as you move down you put a low number up top and it's hard to get rid of.
Was quite annoying 'dying' with a 1024 and 2 c 512's on the board.
I got the 2048 tile but Threes is definitely strategically deeper so I'll stick to that from now on. Side-wall strategy is more effective than corner strategy afaik though.
The iOS version is here and the Android version is available here. Not only will you get a much better game, you'll be supporting original game design.
Guessing from the comment, he linked to the original.
"Better than a tech demo. But mostly a tech demo for now. Exactly what we expected, crashes less and less. No multiplayer." - BnB NMS review, PS4, PC
Threes! runs at 60fps and at retina resolution. If the console wars have taught us anything, it's that this is by far the most important thing to consider in any game.
Also, these games are evil. 3 nights in a row, TV, both me and the missus not paying attention trying to top high scores. 7160 my current best on 2048.
Both games would be significantly easier if you could simply type the numbers into the squares. Why the developers felt it necessary to come up with such convoluted workarounds, finicky solutions to problems that needn't exist, I just don't understand.