Four in a Row

Goal

Connect four of your discs horizontally, vertically, or diagonally before your opponent.

Choose a column

Gold starts. Choose a column with click, touch, or Tab and Enter. Your disc falls to the lowest empty space; then Coral plays. The board has seven columns and six rows.

Drop a disc

Practice example: Drop a Gold disc into column 4. The disc fell to the bottom of the empty column. You choose its column, not its row.

Full columns cannot accept discs

Each column holds six discs. Once full, it cannot accept another. Discs stay in place for the rest of the match; this version has no pop-out move.

Connect horizontally

Practice example: Complete the Gold line along the bottom row. The new disc joined three Gold discs to make four adjacent discs in one horizontal line.

Connect vertically

Practice example: Complete the Gold stack in column 1. The fourth Gold disc landed directly above three others, completing a vertical line.

Connect diagonally

Practice example: Complete the Gold diagonal rising to the right. Discs beneath the target square supported your move, letting it complete the diagonal.

Stop an immediate threat

Practice example: Coral has three connected discs along the bottom. Block the open end. Your disc occupied the empty space Coral needed for a fourth connected disc.

Four ends the match

Any horizontal, vertical or diagonal run of at least four wins immediately. A full board without a line is a draw. There is no separate points total or rule-changing variant.

Choose a normal opponent

Normal play offers a computer opponent or two people sharing the board. Difficulty changes the computer’s decisions while gravity and the winning lines remain the same.