How to Win Connect 4: Strategy That Actually Works
To win Connect 4 (Four in a Row), play the centre column early, because it's part of the most possible lines. Block every three-in-a-row immediately, never drop a disc directly under a square your opponent needs, and build two threats at once, ideally stacked on top of each other so your opponent can't stop both. With perfect play, the first player can always win by starting in the centre.
Can you always win Connect 4?
On the standard board of 7 columns and 6 rows, yes, if you go first and play perfectly. Connect 4 was solved by computer in 1988, independently by James Dow Allen and by Victor Allis: the first player can force a win by starting in the middle column. Start in either column next to the centre and perfect play leads to a draw; start in any of the four outer columns and the second player can force a win.
"Perfect play" here means a computer-checked sequence far too long to memorise, so in real games against people (or Hop) the winner is the player who makes fewer mistakes. The principles below are how you make fewer.
1. Start in the centre
The centre column is part of more possible four-in-a-rows than any other column. Counting every horizontal, vertical and diagonal line of four on the board, a square in the centre column belongs to between 7 and 13 lines, while a square in an edge column belongs to only 3 to 5.
| Row | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (top) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| 1 (bottom) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Keep claiming central squares through the opening, especially in columns 3, 4 and 5. Discs on the edges can only help a handful of lines.
2. Always check for threats first
Before every move, ask two questions, in this order:
- Can I win right now? Look for three of your discs in a line with a playable gap.
- Can my opponent win next turn? If so, block it, whatever else you had planned.
Remember to check diagonals. Most missed wins and missed blocks in casual games are diagonal, because they're the hardest lines to see.
3. Never play under your opponent's winning square
A threat doesn't have to be playable yet. If your opponent has three in a row and the fourth square is floating one row up, the square under it is poison: whoever fills it gives the other player the square on top. Leave that column alone, and try to make your opponent be the one forced to play there.
4. Build two threats at once
A single threat just gets blocked. You win by making two threats your opponent can't answer with one disc. There are two kinds:
- Side by side: two different squares that are both playable right now, for example an open-ended three on the bottom row (a gap at each end). Your opponent blocks one and you take the other.
- Stacked: two of your winning squares directly on top of each other in the same column. When anyone plays below them, you get the lower one; if your opponent blocks it, the upper one becomes playable and you win there.
5. Odd and even rows (the advanced idea)
Number the rows 1 to 6 from the bottom. Late in a game, the board often fills up column by column while both players avoid the poisoned squares. Because the board has an even number of squares (42), when it comes down to filling one remaining column from the bottom, the first player tends to get the squares on odd rows (1, 3, 5) and the second player the squares on even rows (2, 4, 6).
That gives a useful rule of thumb from the theory of the game:
- If you went first, aim for threats on odd rows, especially row 3 or 5.
- If you went second, aim for threats on even rows (2, 4 or 6).
A threat on the "right" row for you is often worth more than it looks, because your opponent may eventually be forced to play underneath it when they run out of safe moves. It's a guideline rather than a guarantee (several threats in different columns interact in complicated ways), but it explains why some games that look level are already decided.
Common mistakes
- Building only one line at a time. Your opponent will block it. Make moves that help two lines.
- Ignoring diagonals, for both attack and defence.
- Filling a column without thinking about what goes on top. Every disc you drop makes the square above it playable for your opponent.
- Starting on the edge. It gives away the centre, which the first player needs.
Practise against Hop the frog on GameLake: Easy looks a couple of moves ahead, Medium four and Hard six, so each level tests the ideas above a little harder. You can also play a friend on one device. Who starts swaps each rematch, so you get to practise both the first- and second-player plans. If you enjoy this kind of thinking, try how to win Tic-Tac-Toe, which is built on the same idea of double threats.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a trick to always win Connect 4?
Only for the first player with perfect play, which starts in the centre column. In practice, play centrally, block threats, avoid playing under your opponent's winning squares, and build two threats at once.
Does the first player always win Connect 4?
With perfect play on the standard 7×6 board, yes: the first player can force a win by starting in the middle column. People rarely play perfectly, so either player can win.
What is the best first move in Connect 4?
The bottom of the middle column. It's the only first move that wins against perfect defence.
When was Connect 4 solved?
In 1988, by James Dow Allen and, independently a couple of weeks later, by Victor Allis.
What is a stacked threat in Connect 4?
Two of your winning squares directly above each other in the same column. Whoever plays underneath gives you the lower one, and blocking it gives you the upper one.