Connect 4
Connect 4 is played on a grid seven columns wide and six rows tall, standing on end. Players alternate dropping a disc into any column that is not full; it falls to the lowest empty space, so you choose the column but never the row. The first player to line up four of their own discs in a row — across, up and down, or on either diagonal — wins immediately. A full board with no such line is a draw.
New game starts an empty board with you playing Red and dropping first. Click a column to drop a disc there, or move the highlighted column with the Left and Right arrow keys and drop with Enter. Four of your discs in a row — across, up-and-down, or diagonally — wins.
Your statistics
- Played
- 0
- Won
- 0
- Win rate
- 0%
- Streak
- 0
- Best streak
- 0
- Best time
- —
Keyboard
- Left / Right
- Move the pending column
- Enter / Space
- Drop a disc
- N
- New game
- F
- Full screen
- Board
- 7 columns x 6 rows
- Players
- 2 (you vs. the computer)
- Win condition
- 4 in a row, any direction
- First move
- Always the human
How do you play Connect 4?
The board stands seven columns wide and six rows tall. On your turn, drop one of your discs into any column that still has room; gravity takes it to the lowest empty cell in that column, so the row is never your choice, only the column. Players alternate turns until someone wins or the board fills completely.
You win the instant four of your own discs line up in an unbroken row — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in either direction. If all 42 cells fill with no such line for either side, the game is a draw.
Why does the center column matter so much?
A disc in the middle column sits inside more potential four-in-a-rows than one on an edge — it can be part of horizontal lines in either direction, the full vertical run, and both diagonals, while an edge column only ever offers a fraction of that. Opening in the center is the single strongest first move in the game for exactly this reason.
Is Connect 4 a solved game?
Yes. Connect 4 was independently solved in 1988 by James D. Allen and by Victor Allis, both proving that the first player wins with perfect play by opening in the center column. That means a truly perfect opponent can never be beaten as the second player — but it does not make the game easy against a strong but imperfect opponent, human or computer, which is a very different task from playing perfectly yourself.
How does the computer opponent decide where to play?
It searches ahead several moves using the same minimax approach chess and checkers engines use, weighing center control, open three-in-a-rows, and outright forced wins, and it searches every remaining move exhaustively once the board is nearly full. It plays every game from a fresh, seeded position, so its choices are deterministic rather than random — the same position always produces the same reply.
How do you get better at connect 4?
- Open in the center columnIt sits on more potential winning lines than any other column, and it is the proven correct opening move for the first player.
- Watch for an open three before it becomes a forced winThree of an opponent's discs with an open cell to complete them on either end is an immediate threat — block it the move you see it, not the move after.
- Avoid setting up a disc your opponent can useEvery disc you drop also becomes a potential landing spot for the disc dropped on top of it later. Think one move past your own before committing to a column.
- Build toward more than one threat at onceA single three-in-a-row is easy to block. Two separate threats that would both complete on the same turn cannot both be blocked — that double threat is usually how a won position actually gets won.
Connect 4 questions people ask
- Who moves first in Connect 4?
- The human player, in this version — matching the real game's convention that the first colour placed moves first.
- Can Connect 4 end in a draw?
- Yes, if all 42 cells fill without either side completing a line of four. It is uncommon with careful play but entirely possible.
- Does the winning line have to be exactly four discs?
- Any unbroken run of four or more of your own discs in a row counts as a win the moment it is completed — you do not need exactly four and no more.
- Is there a way to always win at Connect 4?
- With perfect play, the first player can force a win by starting in the center column — this was proven mathematically in 1988. Reliably finding that perfect line yourself against a strong opponent is a much harder practical matter than knowing the theoretical result.
The rules in six lines
- 1Take turns dropping discsOn your turn, drop a disc into any column with room left. It falls to the lowest empty cell in that column.
- 2Line up four to winFour of your own discs in an unbroken row — horizontal, vertical, or either diagonal — wins immediately, the moment the fourth disc lands.
- 3A full board with no line is a drawIf all 42 cells fill and neither side has four in a row, the game ends in a draw.
- 4You never choose the rowGravity decides where a disc lands within its column — only the column is your decision.
- 5Players alternate turnsYou and the computer take turns dropping one disc at a time; there is no skipping a turn and no dropping two discs in a row.
The long version, with worked examples and the questions beginners actually ask, is on how to play connect 4.
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