Pocket Games
Four in a Row
Four in a Row has been solved since 1988: the first player wins, given perfect play and an opening in the centre. Nobody plays perfectly — but knowing why the centre matters so much is enough to win nearly every game across a table.
The rules
The board is seven columns by six rows. You pick a column and your disc falls to the lowest free slot: you choose the column, not the row. Whoever lines up four discs horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins. If the board fills with no line, it is a draw.
On Pocket Games
The board is the classic 7 columns by 6 rows, with red and yellow discs. To play you tap anywhere in a column; in the browser you click with the mouse, and there are no keyboard controls. There are two modes:
- Against the bot, at three levels. Each game draws lots for both your colour and who opens, so sometimes you go first and sometimes you reply.
- Two players on the same phone, passing it over every turn. Here too the first move is decided at random.
| Level | How the bot plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | picks a free column at random |
| Medium | wins at once if it can, blocks you if you could win; otherwise it looks 4 moves ahead, counting both its own and yours |
| Hard | like medium, but looks 7 moves ahead: enough to see a double threat coming |
Medium and hard judge a position by counting the lines of four still open and the discs in the centre column.
- Statistics. Wins, draws and losses against the bot are counted separately for each level and shown under the difficulty choice. Two-player games do not count.
- Resuming. The game is saved after every move, two-player games included: if you leave, the start screen offers it again with its mode, level and moves played.
- No undo. Every disc is final, just as on a real board.
The centre is worth more than everything
The middle column is the fourth, and it runs through more winning lines than any other: horizontal, vertical and all the main diagonals pass through it. The outer columns take part in very few combinations.
The opening strategy follows, and it is all the strategy you need in the early moves:
- open in the centre, always;
- if your opponent opens in the centre, play next to it and work on building the diagonals;
- do not play the outer columns until you have to: a disc in column one or seven takes part in three lines, a central one in seven.
The double threat
As in tic tac toe, you win by creating two simultaneous threats: two different spots where, on your next move, you would make four. Your opponent can only block one.
The most common form is the horizontal threat with gaps at both ends: three discs in a row with a free square on the left and on the right. If both are reachable, the game is over.
Hence a defensive rule worth half your games on its own: never let your opponent get three in a row with free space on both sides. The moment to block is when they have two, not when they have three.
Odd and even: the rule almost nobody knows
This is the next level, and between experienced players it decides everything.
Every column fills from the bottom, so its squares are occupied in a fixed order. With six rows, the player who opened tends to occupy the odd rows (first, third, fifth) and the second player the even ones.
It follows that a threat has to be built in the right place:
- if you moved first, try to place your threats on an odd row;
- if you moved second, on an even row.
A threat on the "wrong" row can end up blocked because your opponent will be the one filling the square you need. You do not have to calculate it precisely: just ask, before building a vertical threat, who will fill the square you are counting on.
Common mistakes
- Always answering with a block. Sometimes the blocking move creates a square below that hands your opponent the win. Before blocking, look at what happens above your disc.
- Playing the outer columns to be safe. That is not safety, it is conceding the centre.
- Ignoring the diagonals. They are the threats people see least, and they are where games are lost against the hard bot.
Frequently asked questions
Is the bot unbeatable?
No. At the hard level it looks seven moves ahead and punishes mistakes, but it knows no opening theory and in the most open positions it cuts its search short: play well and you will beat it.
Who moves first?
It is drawn at random every game. Against the bot your colour is drawn too: when you open the odd rows are yours, when the bot opens you want the even ones.
Do my statistics carry over to another phone?
No. Wins, draws and losses stay on the device you played on and are not synced to your account.
Can I undo a move?
No, there is no undo button. Before tapping a column, look at what happens above the disc you are about to drop.
More games to try
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