How to play Four in a Row

Four in a Row is a two-player game played on an upright board with 7 columns and 6 rows of holes. One player has red discs, the other yellow. You take turns dropping a disc into a column, and it falls to the lowest open hole. The first player to line up four of their own discs in a row, across, up and down, or diagonally, wins. A game takes about five minutes.

A turn

• Red drops first, then the players take turns. You play Red against the computer unless you choose Yellow in Settings.
• Pick any column that still has room. The disc slides down and stops on top of the discs already there.
• On a computer, point at a column to see where your disc would land, then click. On a phone, the first tap shows it and the second tap drops it.
• You cannot skip a turn, and a disc can never be moved once it is in.

Winning and a draw

As soon as a disc completes a line of four of the same color, that player wins and the line lights up. Five or six in a row count too. If all 42 holes fill up and nobody has four, the game is a draw. Each player has 21 discs, and the number on each name plate shows how many are left.

Tips

1. Start in the middle. More lines of four run through the center column than any other, so discs there do the most work.
2. Look before you drop. Before every move, check whether your opponent has three in a line with an open spot. If they do, block it.
3. Mind the hole on top. Every disc you drop opens the hole above it. Do not drop into a column if that hands your opponent the spot they need.
4. Make two threats at once. A single line of three is easy to block. Set up two places that would each make four, and your opponent can only stop one of them.
5. Think in rows. Late in the game, a threat that sits low on the board, where the other player is forced to fill the column under it, is often what decides the game.

Today's opening

The Daily Opening starts everyone from the same position: Red and Yellow have each dropped one disc already. You play Red against the same computer player as everyone else. A win in fewer moves ranks higher, and a draw beats a loss. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Is this the game with the blue plastic grid I remember? Yes. Same board, same discs, same rules. Four in a Row is the plain, generic name.

Does the first player have an advantage? Yes. With perfect play from both sides, the player who drops first and starts in the middle can always win. That is why you can choose to play Yellow, or take turns being Red with a friend.

How strong is the computer? Easy blocks some of your lines and misses others, the way most people play at first. Normal looks a few moves ahead and almost never misses a block. Sharp looks much deeper and sets traps of its own.

Can two people play on one phone? Yes. Choose "Two on one device" and pass the phone back and forth.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.