Connect-4 Basics
📋 What it is
Connect-4: drop discs into columns; the first to line up four in a row (any direction) wins.
🗣️ Coach says
Simple to learn, deep to master. You can only drop into the TOP of a column, so gravity limits where pieces land. Think one move ahead: what does dropping here let your opponent do next?
🧠 Memory hook
Four in a row, any direction. Gravity means only the top of a column is open.
😂 Giggle
Why did the Connect Four player love vertical thinking?
Because sometimes the win is right above you!
😲 Whoa!
Connect-4 is a "solved" game — with perfect play, the first player can always win by starting in the centre column.
✅ Quick check: Why is the CENTRE column the strongest opening move in Connect-4?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
It’s part of the most possible four-in-a-row lines (horizontal, vertical and both diagonals), giving the most winning chances.
Centre control is the foundational Connect-4 idea.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Play one game and count how many possible "four lines" pass through the centre column.