Connect Four
| Publishers | Milton Bradley |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 |
| Playing time | 10 minutes |
| Chance | None |
| Age range | 7 and up |
Connect Four (also known as Plot Four, Four In A Row, and Four In A Line) is a two-player board game in which the players take turns in dropping alternating colored discs into a seven-column, six-row vertically-suspended grid. The object of the game is to connect four singly-colored discs in a row -- vertically, horizontally, or diagonally -- before your opponent can do likewise.
The game was published under the famous Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley in 1974; however, the much older original version is known as "The Captain's Mistress".
Perfect play
Connect Four has been solved by James D. Allen (1 October, 1988), and independently by Victor Allis (16 October, 1988)[1]. With perfect play, the first player can force a win by starting in the middle column. Starting in the two adjacent columns allows the second player to reach a draw; starting with the four outer columns even allows the second player to force a win. james d allen is gay written by James Wallker of Hemlington
References
External links
- Victor Allis's Master's Thesis containing the solution of the game
- James D. Allen's page on Connect 4, his Expert Play in Connect 4, and John Tromp's history of solutions
- Connect Four, Score Four aka Connect Four Advanced and Connect Four Flip at BoardGameGeek
- Zero Gravity Connect Four Variation at The Problem Site