Connect Four
Drop discs into columns and connect four in a row — against the computer or a friend in local 2-player mode.
Your turn — click a column to drop a red disc.
About Connect Four
Connect Four was released by Milton Bradley in 1974, turning the humble noughts-and-crosses idea into a vertical gravity game. It is also a solved game: in 1988 Victor Allis proved that the first player wins with perfect play by opening in the centre column — a fact that makes casual games no less fun, because almost no human plays perfectly for 20 moves in a row.
You play red and move first on the classic 7-column, 6-row frame, dropping discs that stack from the bottom. Against the computer you face a minimax AI that searches four moves deep with threat-based evaluation: it will take wins, block your open threes, and contest the centre. Prefer a human opponent? The 2 Players toggle turns the board into a hotseat game — red versus yellow, same device — and the tally at the top (which relabels to Player 1 and Player 2) tracks wins and draws across rounds. A column preview arrow follows your pointer so you can aim drops precisely.
How to Play Connect Four
Pick a mode: Vs Computer (you are red, moving first) or 2 Players for a shared-device game.
Click a column arrow, or any cell in a column, to drop your disc into the lowest free slot of that column.
In Vs Computer mode the AI answers after a short think with its yellow disc; in 2 Players mode, the other player clicks a column on their turn.
The first side to line up four discs horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins the round and the tally updates.
If all 42 slots fill with no line of four, the round is a draw. Press New Round to clear the board and play again with the tally intact.
Controls
Tips & Tricks
- 💡Open in the centre column. Column 4 participates in more potential four-in-a-rows than any other (vertical, both diagonals and horizontals), and the solved-game proof starts there for a reason.
- 💡Count threats, not discs. A three with an open playable slot at either end must be answered immediately; a three whose fourth slot is still floating one row up is a trap you can set, not a threat you face — yet.
- 💡Build double threats: two lines that each need one more disc, completable on the same move, cannot both be blocked. Most wins against the AI come from exactly this pattern.
- 💡Beware the zugzwang endgame: late in the round, the player forced to drop a disc that lifts the opponent's winning slot into reach loses. Count whose disc makes each critical slot playable before you commit.
Connect Four — Frequently Asked Questions
Does Connect Four support two players?+
Yes. The 2 Players mode is a hotseat game on one device: Player 1 drops red discs, Player 2 drops yellow, and the scoreboard relabels accordingly. Vs Computer mode pits you against the AI instead.
How strong is the computer opponent?+
It searches four moves ahead with an evaluation that values its own building lines, heavily punishes your open threes, and fights for the centre. It blocks obvious wins reliably, but double threats and deep traps can still beat it.
Who moves first?+
Red always moves first — you in Vs Computer mode, Player 1 in 2 Players mode. First move is a genuine advantage in this game, so alternate who takes red across rounds in friendly matches.
Can a round end in a draw?+
Yes. If all 42 cells fill without either side completing four in a row, the round is scored as a draw and counted in the Draws tally.
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