Four in a Row Strategy: How to Win More Games

Four in a row is played on a vertical grid of seven columns and six rows. Players take turns dropping a disc into a column; it falls to the lowest free space. The first to line up four of their discs — across, down or diagonally — wins. It takes seconds to learn, yet the game has deep strategy: with perfect play, the first player can always win. Here is how to play closer to perfect.

To describe positions, this guide labels the columns a to g from left to right and the rows 1 to 6 from the bottom, so d1 is the bottom cell of the centre column.

1. Own the centre column

The middle column belongs to more possible fours than any other: a disc there can join lines going left, right and along both diagonals. Start in the centre, and keep adding discs to it when you can.

2. Think in threats, not lines

A threat is an empty cell that would complete four for you. You win by creating two threats at once — your opponent can block only one. Before each move, ask:

• Does my opponent have a threat I must block right now?
• Can I create a threat?
• Can I create two threats at the same time?

The order matters. Blocking an immediate threat always comes first, because no attack of your own is faster than a loss on the next move.

3. Avoid giving away the cell below a threat

A threat only matters when it becomes playable. If your opponent has a threat on row 3 of a column, do not play the cell directly beneath it on row 2 — that lets them drop a disc onto their winning square. Sometimes the right move is to leave a column alone.

4. Odd and even rows

Counting rows from the bottom (1 to 6), the first player tends to benefit from threats on odd rows, the second player from threats on even rows. Near the end, when columns fill up, the turn order decides who is forced to play under whose threat. Planning your threats on "your" rows turns long games into wins.

5. Build diagonals

Beginners watch horizontal and vertical lines closely and miss diagonals. Diagonal threats are the classic way to beat an opponent who blocks carefully.

6. Set a trap with a "7" shape

Three discs in a row plus a diagonal that shares one of them create two threats from a single move. Practise spotting these shapes and you will win games that looked even.

A worked example: the bottom-row trap

The bottom row is special, because every empty cell there can be played at once. That makes it the easiest place to set — or fall into — a double threat.

1. You open in the centre with d1.
2. Your opponent stacks on top with d2.
3. You play e1. Now you have two discs side by side on the bottom row, with c1, b1, f1 and g1 all empty.
4. If your opponent does not play c1 or f1 right away, you add a third disc next to your pair. Say you play c1: now b1 and f1 both complete four, and only one of them can be blocked.

The lesson works both ways. When your opponent has two discs together on the bottom row with open space on both sides, block one end immediately. Many quick losses against the computer start exactly here.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it loses	Better habit
Playing the edge columns early	Edge discs join very few lines	Build from the centre outwards
Only watching your own lines	You miss the opponent's threat	Check their threats first, every move
Filling the cell under a threat	It hands them the winning square	Leave that column alone
Ignoring diagonals	Diagonal fours appear "out of nowhere"	Scan both diagonals before each move
Making a threat that is easily blocked	The block also builds their position	Prefer moves that create two threats

Practise against opponents that react

Disc Drop Duel is our free four-in-a-row game. Climb a ladder of cartoon opponents — cheerful Benny, clever Priya, loud Coach Dex and the mighty Queen Nova — earn up to three stars per opponent, solve a daily puzzle, or play a friend on the same device.

Its features line up neatly with this four in a row strategy:

• Learning to block. Against Benny and Priya, a red glow shows where they could win next, which trains you to check threats before every move.
• Stars for clean wins. Each opponent has three stars: win, win quickly, and win without letting them make three in a row. The last star rewards exactly the careful blocking described above.
• Puzzles for double threats. The daily puzzle asks you to win in two or three moves, and the 15-step Puzzle Trail with Puzzle Pip runs from win-in-two to win-in-four. Each one is solved by creating threats your opponent cannot all block.
• A patient final boss. Queen Nova looks many moves ahead, so build several threats rather than rushing a single line.

On a keyboard, choose a column with the arrow keys or 1–7 and press Space or Enter; on a touch screen, tap anywhere in a column.

Enjoy turn-based duels? Our chess for beginners guide is a good next step.

FAQ

What is the best first move in four in a row?

The centre column. A disc in the middle can be part of more winning lines than a disc in any other column, so starting there gives the first player a strong advantage. If your opponent takes the centre first, playing on top of their disc in the same column is a solid reply that keeps you in the middle.

Can the first player always win four in a row?

Yes, on the standard 7-by-6 board the first player can force a win with perfect play, starting in the centre column. In normal games mistakes happen on both sides, so strategy matters far more than who starts. Playing against a strong computer opponent is a good way to learn how small early mistakes decide the game.

How do you win at four in a row against the computer?

Create two threats at once — for example a horizontal and a diagonal that share one empty cell. Computers block single threats well, but nobody can block two at the same time. Setting up the shape a few moves in advance, before the threats are visible, is what beats stronger computer opponents.

Can two people play four in a row on one device?

Yes. Disc Drop Duel on GamesYap includes a two-player mode where you take turns on the same phone, tablet or computer. Each player simply taps a column on their turn, which makes it an easy game for families and friends sitting together.