Four in a Row

Four in a Row is a two-player game played on an upright grid of seven columns and six rows. Players take turns dropping a disc into a column, and the disc falls to the lowest empty hole. The first player to line up four of their own discs in a row, across, up and down, or on either diagonal, wins. If the grid fills up and nobody has made four, the game is a draw. Red always goes first. Play the computer at one of five levels, or pass one phone between two players.

How to play

• Tap anywhere in a column to drop your disc there. On a computer you can hover to preview the drop, or press the keys 1 to 7.
• A full column takes no more discs, so choose another one.
• Undo takes back your last disc and the computer's reply. Hint asks the computer for the best column it can find.
• The big board has eight columns and seven rows for longer, more open games.

Computer levels

Rookie drops discs almost anywhere and is a good first opponent. Casual takes a win when it sees one and blocks most of your threats. Club looks a few moves ahead. Strong sets traps and rarely slips, and Master searches deep into the game in a fraction of a second. Beating Master is a real achievement. Your record and win streak for each level are saved on this device.

Tips

• Start in the middle. The centre column is part of more possible lines than any other, so discs there do the most work.
• Before every move, check whether your opponent has three in a line with an open hole. If they can win next turn, block it.
• Look at the hole just above where you are about to drop. If your opponent needs that hole to make four, your disc gives it to them.
• Build two threats at once. If you have two different holes that would each complete four, your opponent can only block one of them.
• Think about rows. When the grid starts to fill up, the player who goes first usually wants threats on the first, third and fifth rows from the bottom, and the second player wants them on the even rows. A threat on the right row often wins in the end because your opponent is forced to fill the hole beneath it.