Drop, stack, win in Connect Four
Connect Four is the vertical strategy classic. Take turns dropping coloured discs into a seven-column grid; they stack from the bottom up. Be the first to line up four of your discs in a row — horizontally, vertically or diagonally — while blocking your opponent from doing the same.
How to play
Connect Four in 4 steps
Drop a disc
Click a column to drop your disc ● into it. It falls to the lowest empty slot in that column.
Build a line of four
Connect four of your discs in a row — across, up, or along a diagonal — to win immediately.
Block and threaten
Watch for your opponent's three-in-a-row and block it, while quietly setting up threats of your own.
Choose your match
Play 2-player pass-and-play, or take on the AI on Easy, Medium or Hard.
Controls
- Click / Tap a column
- Drop your disc into that column
- Mode buttons
- Switch between 2-player and AI difficulties
- R
- Start a new game
Strategy
Tips to play better
Own the centre column
The middle column is part of the most winning lines. Claiming it early gives you far more ways to connect four.
Think about parity
Whether a key square lands on an odd or even row decides who can claim it. Top players count rows to steer threats onto their colour.
Create double threats
Set up two separate three-in-a-rows at once. Your opponent can only block one drop, so the other wins.
Don't build their ladder
A careless drop can hand your opponent the slot directly above it. Always check what your move sets up for them.
About Connect Four
Connect Four was published by Milton Bradley in 1974, though "four in a row" games are far older. Its upright grid and clattering discs made it an instant family-table favourite, and it has sold tens of millions of sets worldwide.
Connect Four is a solved game: in 1988 it was proven that the first player can always force a win with perfect play — specifically by opening in the centre column. That solution makes it a brilliant strategy teacher, blending the simple "stack to four" goal with deep questions of tempo, parity and threat-management.
Our AI searches ahead with the same kind of minimax-with-pruning logic used for the toughest board games; on Hard it plays a strong, forward-looking game, while Easy and Medium make beatable mistakes. Drop into 2-player mode to face a friend. Discs render as bright Unicode circles on a clean grid.
FAQ
Connect Four questions
Does the first player always win Connect Four?
How big is the board?
Can I play against another person?
How hard is the AI?
Is it free?
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