Four in a Row Game

Four in a Row is the classic disc-dropping strategy game better known by its trademarked name, Connect Four. Two players take turns dropping a colored disc into one of seven columns; gravity pulls it down to the lowest open space, and the first to line up four discs in a row — across, up and down, or on a diagonal — wins.

The rules take a minute to learn, but the game rewards looking a few moves ahead. Every disc you drop opens a new space above it for your opponent, so a move that looks safe now can hand them a winning column next turn.

Controls

• Mouse or tap: click a column to drop your disc into it

Tips

• Play the center column early — it's part of more possible four-in-a-rows than any edge column
• Watch for double threats: if you can win in two different columns at once, your opponent can only block one
• Before you drop a disc, check whether it fills a hole your opponent could win from on the row above
• Diagonal lines are easy to miss — scan for them as often as you check rows and columns

It's a quick, no-download game to play between rounds of something bigger, or as a two-player warm-up before a longer strategy game.