When you’re playing a little kid or someone who’s never played before, be nice and let them make the first move. You’ll probably still win, but this gives them a bit of an edge.
This strategy works best if your opponent drops their first checker in the center column. If they put it somewhere else, take the center column to gain the upper hand.
For example, if you put your first checker in the center column and your opponent puts their first checker on top of yours, put your second checker in the center column as well. If you’re the second player and you can’t control the center column, gain control of one of the columns on either side of it and you’ll guarantee at least a draw.
As the second player, it’s going to be tough for you to build much of an offense. But you still have a chance if the first player misses that key first move or makes some other mistake. If you’re having trouble building up much of an offense, you could also try distracting your opponent or making comments to try to get in their head and get them flustered so they make a mistake.
Because Connect 4 requires this sort of thinking, it helps build your strategy skills for more complicated games, such as chess. This is one of the things that makes this a great game to play with little kids. If you’re older and want to help them, talk them through their moves or ask them questions, such as, “What do you think I’m going to do if you put your checker there?”
For example, you might place your checker in the center column as the first move. Then, your opponent drops their checker directly on top of yours. This means they’re trying to get as many checkers in the center column as possible. It also helps to put yourself in your opponent’s position. If their checkers were yours, what would your strategy be? What would you do to win the game?
For example, you might drop a checker next to 2 you’ve already got to put 3 in a row horizontally. If it’s cut off on one side, it’s easy for your opponent to block you—but having to do that takes them away from their offensive strategy for at least one move.
For example, if your opponent has 2 checkers lined up on the bottom row, go ahead and drop a checker on either end to close off at least one of their opportunities to build a threat. Then, if they put a third checker on the other side, you can easily block it.
For example, if you drop a checker down one of the end columns, you’re cutting off any opportunity to use this strategy. This is the main reason the end columns are the worst places to drop your checkers.
For example, you might build up a diagonal 3 that would use the space under the game-winning space to give you 4 in a row. Diagonals are great because they’re really versatile and not as easy to see as horizontals or verticals.
So, for example, you might have 3 checkers going up in a diagonal, and then at the top of the diagonal, you have 3 checkers horizontally. That gives you a diagonal and horizontal threat. With a 7 anywhere on the board (and turned in any direction), it’s only a matter of time before your opponent is trapped in a situation where you have two game-winning spaces and they can only block one of them.
