Connect Four Strategy: How to Win (Even When You Go Second)
· 7 min read
Connect Four looks like a children's game: drop discs, get four in a row. But it hides deep strategy. In 1988 the game was solved: with perfect play, the first player can always force a win by starting in the middle column. You don't need a computer brain to use that knowledge. A handful of principles will make you far stronger than a casual player.
The board
The standard board has 7 columns and 6 rows. Players take turns dropping a disc into a column. It falls to the lowest empty space. Four in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins.
1. Own the centre column
The middle column is part of more possible winning lines than any other. Most of your early discs should go in or near the centre. If you go first, play the centre. If you go second and your opponent didn't take it, take it yourself.
2. Think in threats, not single moves
A threat is an empty square that would complete four in a row for you. Good players don't just try to make four. They build up threats and wait for their opponent to be forced to give them a winning square.
3. Odd and even rows: the key idea
Number the rows from the bottom, 1 to 6. Because players alternate and the board fills from the bottom up, there's a pattern:
- The first player usually wants their threats on odd rows (1, 3, 5).
- The second player usually wants their threats on even rows (2, 4, 6).
Why? Near the end of the game, when columns fill up, the parity of the remaining squares decides who is forced to play underneath a threat. A first-player threat on an odd row is very hard for the second player to stop, and the same goes for the second player on even rows.
You don't have to calculate this perfectly. Just ask: "If the board fills up, who will be forced to move under this square?"
4. Never play directly under your opponent's threat
If your opponent has a threat on a square, don't fill the square just below it. That gives them the square to drop into and win. Many games are lost this way.
5. Build the "7" trap
One of the strongest patterns is a shape of three discs that looks like the number 7: a horizontal pair with a diagonal running down from one end. It creates two threats at once. Your opponent can only block one.
6. Create double threats
Any time you can make two winning squares at once, especially stacked one above the other in the same column, your opponent is usually lost. Look for moves that add to two lines at the same time.
7. Play second? Defend first, then counter
When you play second, the first player has the theoretical edge, but humans rarely play perfectly. Take the centre squares you can, block early threats, and aim to build your own even-row threats for the endgame.
8. Don't rush the edges
Discs on the outer columns take part in very few winning lines. Play there only to block or to complete a specific threat.
9. Count the columns at the end
When the board is nearly full, count how many moves are left in each column. That tells you who will be forced to play into which square, and often decides the game.
Practise online
You can play Connect Four on Arena254 free or for a stake from KES 50 against real opponents. Every move is checked on the server and the result is settled automatically. Try a few free games and test the odd/even rule for yourself.
More strategy: checkers tips and chess openings for beginners.