Connect Four

01Discover the game

In Power 4, two players drop their tokens into a vertical grid. You have to align four tokens of its color before the other. Gravity is part of the game: you choose a column, but not the finish height. A token remains on the bottom of the grid or on the tokens already present.

We explain the classic mode of Connect 4 / Power 4 Hasbro, with a grid of seven columns and six rows. Pop Out variants, where tokens are removed from the bottom, are not mixed with this tutorial. The overall difficulty is Medium: the rule is understood quickly, but mastery requires to anticipate several strokes and diagonal threats.

02Equipment

The classic edition A5640 includes the grid, two feet, a sliding bar, 21 red tokens and 21 yellow tokens, with its notice. There are 42 tokens for the 42 locations of the grid. Some older records speak of golden tokens: this does not change the rules. One colour must simply be well distinguished from the other.

There is no dice or map. To note an example, you can name columns A to G from left to right and rows 1 to 6 from bottom to top. This tracking is educational; the letters are not printed on all boxes.

03The goal

Form a continuous line of at least four tokens of your color, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The line cannot turn a corner, have a hole or be interrupted by an opposing token. A line of five contains a line of four and wins in the same way.

The game stops as soon as the alignment is made: the opponent does not benefit from a last turn to equalize. If the grid is fully filled and no alignment has been obtained, the game is void.

04Install Grid

Assemble the feet and close the bottom bar so that the chips do not fall through. Place the grid vertically on a stable surface, between the two players. Each player takes the 21 tokens of his/her color. Check that no tokens from the previous game remain in the grid.

Decide who starts; for a series of friendly games, simply alternate the first player. Both players look at the same grid. If you sit face to face, specify from which side the columns are named in one example: the column to the left of one is to the right of the other.

05Play a spin

In your turn, choose a column that is not full. Drop one of your tokens in the top opening. It goes down to the first available location. When it has stopped, immediately check if this shot has created four tokens aligned. Otherwise, it is to the other player.

A column contains a maximum of six tokens. When it is full, it can no longer be chosen. You cannot move a token already placed, drag a token to the side, remove a token from the bottom or shake the grille to change a position. Each turn adds exactly one token to the grille.

Review all directions

After a pose, look at the horizontal row passing through the new token, its column and the two diagonals. In each direction, counts the consecutive tokens of the same color on both sides. The tokens do not need to have been placed in the order of the line: only the visible result counts.

An empty box is not necessarily playable

In a diagonal, a box may seem to complete an alignment, but remain inaccessible because the bottom of its column is not filled. If your token falls two rows too low, you cannot suspend it. This constraint explains why you must also look at what your shot will make playable for the next one.

No special power

A red token and a yellow one follow exactly the same rules. There is no bonus for a long line, capture or extra round. A double threat is a tactical situation, not a special action: it means that the same player will have two different winning boxes in his next round.

06Two concrete examples

A vertical victory

Red starts in D1. Yellow cheek A1. Red adds a token in D, which arrives in D2; Yellow cheek A2. Red poses in D3, Yellow in B1, then Red in D4. The boxes D1, D2, D3 and D4 are all red: Red wins immediately. Yellow should have interrupted column D before the last blow.

A threat to be checked before placing

Suppose that B1, C1 and D1 are yellow and that A1 and E1 are still free. If Red can't win right away, however, he can close only one end of this line in turn. Yellow will then play at the other end and win. It was therefore important to prevent this position before it formed.

For a diagonal drawing, represents an entire grid and supports under each token. Draw only four inclined tokens in the vacuum masks the most important rule of the game. A study position must remain a feasible position by falling tokens.

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07Victory, null and void

The first lineup of four ends the game and is worth a win. A grid filled without alignment gives a zero. The basic rule does not require adding up the lines or continuing after a win.

If you play multiple games, agree before you start a series, for example the first to three wins. A zero does not give any victory to anyone. Then open the bar to release the chips, divide them by color, close the grid well and exchange the first player. This little ritual avoids starting revenge with an incompletely emptied column.

08Frequent errors

• Only look for horizontal lines and forget diagonals.
• Believing that one can choose a box in height without support below.
• Put in a full column or leave a token stuck at the top.
• Continue playing after the first lineup.
• Remove a token from the bottom: this is another variant.
• Build your own project without looking at the immediate gain of the opponent.

09Tips for starting

Before each shot, ask two questions: "Can I win now?" then "Can the other win at his next shot?"This quick control is more useful than choosing a column at random.

The central columns take part in more possible lines, but no advice replaces the examination of the position. Also watch the boxes that your token supports: you can unintentionally offer the opponent the height he needs. After a defeat, replay the last two or three strokes to find the moment when the threat could have been avoided.