Puissance 4

Four in a Row (Connect Four) is a connection game where two players take turns dropping colored discs into a vertical grid. The disc falls to the lowest available space in the selected column. It's more strategic than Tic-Tac-Toe while remaining accessible.

Be the first player to connect four of your discs in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

The game is played on a vertical 7-column, 6-row grid (7x6). The board starts empty. Each player has 21 discs of their color. Red typically moves first.

1. On your turn, drop one disc into any column that isn't full.
2. The disc falls to the lowest empty space in that column.
3. Players alternate turns.
4. The first player to create a line of four connected discs wins.
5. Connections can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.
6. If the board fills completely (42 discs) with no winner, the game is a draw.

Create four consecutive discs of your color in any direction. The game is a draw if the board fills without either player achieving four in a row.

• *Control the center column - it's part of the most winning combinations.
• *Build threats in the lower rows first; upper threats are useless until lower rows fill.
• *Create 'dual threats' where you can win in multiple ways on your next turn.
• *Watch for diagonal threats - they're easy to miss.
• *Force your opponent to block low, setting up higher winning positions.
• *The seventh column is often key for diagonal plays.
• *With perfect play, the first player can force a win (but it's complex).

Connect Four was first published by Milton Bradley in 1974. It has been mathematically solved - with perfect play, the first player can always win by starting in the center column.