Four in a Row
Drop discs into the grid and line up four in a row against a thinking computer opponent.
Four in a Row
Drop discs into the grid and line up four in a row against a thinking computer opponent.
Starts in your browser. Instructions are below.
Controls
- Keyboard and mouse
- Click a column to drop your disc into the lowest open space.
- Touch
- Tap a column to drop your disc.
Scoring and how to win
- The board has 7 columns and 6 rows. Connect four of your discs in a row, across, down or diagonally.
- Easy and Medium make human-style mistakes; Hard looks further ahead but can still be beaten.
- If all 42 spaces fill with no four in a row, the game is a draw.
How to play Four in a Row
- 01Pick a difficulty, Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert, above the board.
- 02Tap or click a column to drop your disc into the lowest free slot.
- 03The computer replies after a short pause. Line up four of your discs horizontally, vertically or diagonally to win.
About Four in a Row
Four in a Row is a solved game, with perfect play the first player wins by starting in the center column. That fact shapes good strategy, the center column touches more winning lines than any other, so taking and holding it is worth more than an early threat on the edges.
The computer searches the game tree several moves deep, so it will block obvious threats and punish careless drops, with the Expert setting searching deepest and blundering least. Watch for double threats, setting up two winning squares at once is the standard way to force a win, because the opponent can only block one of them.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I beat the computer?
- Yes. Pick Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert above the board. Easy drops discs loosely, Medium blocks the obvious threats, and Hard or Expert search several moves deep, so you will need to set up two threats at once.
- Who goes first?
- You do, which is the theoretically winning side if you play the center column well.
- Is there a two player mode?
- Right now the game is you against the computer only.
- How do I change the difficulty?
- Select a different level above the board at any time, which also resets the current game.
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