How to Play Connect Four
Connect Four is a line up game on a standing grid seven columns wide and six rows deep. You drop a disc into a column and it falls to the lowest free slot.
Four of your discs in a row, in any direction, wins. It looks simple and it is completely solved, which means playing well really does beat playing fast.
Play Connect FourHow to play
- Take turns dropping a disc into any column that is not full.
- A disc always lands on top of what is already in that column, so you choose the column, not the square.
- Four in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins immediately.
- If the board fills with no four in a row, the game is drawn.
Strategy
Take the centre column early. More winning lines pass through it than through any other column, and the player who controls it has a real edge.
Build threats that share a square. If you can set up two different fours that both need the same empty slot, your opponent can only block one of them.
Look above as well as along. Dropping a disc gives your opponent the square directly on top, so a move that sets them up for a win is worse than no move at all.
Frequently asked questions
Does the first player always win at Connect Four?
With perfect play yes, by starting in the centre column. In practice games are decided by who spots the double threat first.
Can you win diagonally?
Yes. Four in a row counts in any direction, and diagonal wins are the ones players miss most often.
What is a double threat?
A position where you have two ways to make four and your opponent can only block one of them.