🔴 Connect Four

How to play

Two players share one screen and take turns dropping discs into a grid seven columns wide and six rows deep. Red goes first. A disc falls to the lowest free space in the column you choose, so you can only ever decide the column, not the height. The first player to line up four of their own discs horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins, and the winning four are highlighted on the board.

• Column arrows — the seven buttons above the board. Click one to drop a disc into that column. A full column does nothing.
• New Game button — clears the board and hands the first move back to Red.

Scoring

There is no running score. A game ends in one of two ways: a line of four, which names the winner in the message below the board, or a full top row with no line, which is declared a draw. Nothing is carried between games, so each New Game starts level. The player tags above the board show whose turn it is, with the active player highlighted.

Tips

• The centre column belongs to more possible lines of four than any other, so it is worth taking early.
• Watch your opponent's threats as closely as your own. Blocking is often the stronger move because a completed four ends the game at once.
• Set up two threats at the same time. A single block cannot cover both, and that is how most games are actually won.
• Think about the space directly above your move. Playing under a square that would complete your opponent's diagonal hands them the game.

Frequently asked questions