🔴 Connect 4
Connect four in a row, column or diagonal. Seven columns by six rows — and going first is a real advantage.
- 2 players
- Classic
- In your browser, free
- With friends or against bots
The rules
Seven columns, six rows. You choose a column and the piece falls to the bottom — gravity decides the row, not you. Four of your colour in a row, column or diagonal wins.
The game is solved, and knowing that helps
Connect 4 was solved mathematically in 1988: with perfect play on both sides, the first player wins — provided the first piece goes in the middle column. Any other opening hands over the draw or the loss.
In practice nobody plays perfectly, but the consequence is usable: the central column is worth more than the others because it takes part in more winning combinations than any other. Controlling the middle is the heuristic that pays most in this game.
The three things that decide matches
- Do not hand over the row above. Placing a piece below a square that completes your opponent's line is the most common mistake — you are literally building their step.
- Double threat. Creating two threats at once is the only reliable way to beat someone paying attention: they can only block one.
- Parity. Threats on even and odd rows are not worth the same, because how many pieces still fit in the column decides who reaches that square first.
Playing on screen
You choose the column, not the square — tap or click anywhere in it and the piece drops. The last move stays highlighted on the board, which helps you keep track when the match speeds up.
When someone connects four, the whole winning line lights up. It is worth looking at: it is the fastest way to understand why you lost, especially on diagonals, which are the ones that most often go unnoticed.
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✊ Rock Paper Scissors
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