About

Connect Four is a two-player strategy game where opponents drop colored discs into a seven-column grid, stacking from the bottom up. The first to form an unbroken line of four discs — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal — wins. The rules are learned in under a minute but the game hides a surprising tactical depth.

Every disc either advances your own threats or blocks the opponent's, and frequently must do both. Experienced players set up "double threats" — two winning moves simultaneously — making it impossible to block both at once.

A full game takes under five minutes, the setup is instant digitally, and the turn-based structure allows brief contemplation followed by action.

How to Play

• Players alternate dropping one disc into any of the seven columns.
• Discs fall to the lowest available position in the chosen column.
• First player to align four discs in a row — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — wins.
• If all 42 spaces fill without a winner, the game is a draw.

Tips

• Control the center column — pieces there participate in more potential four-in-a-row lines than any other position.
• Set up double threats by building two separate three-in-a-row sequences simultaneously.
• Never ignore a diagonal threat — they're visually harder to track and the most common path to a surprise defeat.

History

Connect Four was invented by Howard Wexler and Ned Strongin and first sold by Milton Bradley in 1974. In 1988, mathematician James Dow Allen and independently Victor Allis proved that the first player can always force a win with perfect play — placing Connect Four in the category of "solved games." Despite this, it remains widely popular because the optimal strategy is far beyond casual recall.