How to Win at Connect 4 — Step By Step Guide
While tic-tac-toe is another classic strategy game, connect four is also another fun one to try. Black and red game pieces reminiscent of chess, Connect 4 requires a moderate amount of foresight.
Connect 4 can also move quickly, requiring some fast thinking on the part of its players. Connect 4, a popular stacking game for two players, is similar in many ways to (Play Tic-Tac-Toe) Tic-Tac-Toe. Both games have their own separate boards How to Win at Connect 4.
though you get more creative with constructing a Tic-Tac-Toe board than you do on the Connect 4 board — and both require a little bit of mental acuity when it comes down to winning.
How to Win at Connect 4
Anticipate Your Opponent’s Moves; Connect 4 is similar to other strategy games, but it has its own nuances. An important thing to remember when playing, especially for beginners, is that it’s important to work out what you and your opponent are going for at each stage of the game.
Connecting 4 in a row vertically usually wins a game straight away! You want to make sure your opponent is playing for keeps and really working to win!
Stay in the Middle; On a seven-column checkers board, diagonal or horizontal lines can only be created with the stipulation that no two on the same row can belong to the same player.
The side benefits of having the majority of a central column are particularly useful, especially when you have a sizable lead over your opponent.
Look Ahead; If your opponent can make a straight line across four of his game pieces, then it could spell serious trouble for you. The best way to prevent your opponent from making a double jump is to play more strategically by monitoring the game closely.
f you want to secure a victory, it is best to understand your enemy’s methods of attack.
Watch out for Game-Ending Spaces
Sometimes when you play connect-four on your board, it will make a line right next to your opponent’s pieces, or block them as they try to connect four.
The game can get pretty heated sometimes (especially since both of your hands are on the same keyboard), but it’s what makes for an interesting competition!
If this occurs, then as soon as that space is filled, the game will temporarily be over. You can safely ignore all spaces above the game-ending space in the same column, as well as any potential connect-fours that rely on the spaces you are ignoring.
Never Play Directly Below the Game-Ending Space; This is useful for forcing your opponent to play into the space, which often leads to victory. Secondarily, you should try to simplify to just below the required number of blocks for your game-winning turn.
Fork Your Threats Whenever Possible; The optimal situation is to have two potential connect-fours that need a last checker located on spaces one above the other.
Taking an early lead can be just what you need to win a game because threatening someone’s home location is the best way to force them into a loss.
If an opponent blocks, you win. If an opponent blocks, you may play on top to win in the next space. One simple way to set this up is to make a “7” with your checkers such that finishing the horizontal or diagonal connect-four on the right will be two spaces on top of each other.
