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Mar 16, 2024 · Setup your board according to the instructions on the box and distribute the checkers to both players. Flip a coin to decide who goes first. Take turns dropping the checkers into the slots, attempting to make a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of 4 checkers of your color. Use your checkers to block your opponent's lines of 4.
- Control the center. One basic strategy for Connect 4 is to have disks in the middle, because this opens up the most opportunities for you to make connections.
- Plan multiple moves in advance. Just like in chess, moves in Connect 4 can force you or your opponent to make a reactionary move to block a win. Situations like this can be used to your advantage, so it’s important when you're planning a move to think ahead about how your opponent will react.
- Block your opponent. A very basic strategy of any game is that if you don’t want to lose, you must prevent your opponent from winning. In Connect 4, this means defending against your opponent’s tactics and placing your disks in the open spots that would allow them to complete a four-disk connection.
- Take advantage of your opponent’s mistakes. In Connect 4, a mistake is failing to block an opponent’s moves, thereby allowing the opponent to win. To prevent this, you have to pay attention to the board and the implications of each move so you can take advantage of mistakes.
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- Be “player one” The simplest Connect 4 strategy is simply going first. “Going first means you can dictate the play,” says Keith Galli, a Connect 4 expert who earned his masters in computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has devoted considerable time to teaching a large audience on YouTube his favorite winning Connect 4 strategies.
- Start in the middle of the bottom row. If you’re player one, the perfect first play is to place your first piece in the middle spot of the bottom row (in Connect 4 parlance, that’s known as “D1”).
- Focus on the middle column. Generally speaking, either player can improve their odds of winning by loading up the middle column with their own pieces, says Galli.
- Make a strategic second move. If you’re player one and have played the perfect first move at D1, then your opponent’s first move will likely be to place a piece directly above—in a reasonable attempt to block you vertically up the middle, says Allis.
- Provides fun and entertainment. Connect 4 is not a boring game by any means. Kids introduced to it often become quite fixated with it. When they are up against you or another family member, they are bound to have heaps of fun, focusing on beating you.
- Develops fine motor skills. Kids take time to develop fine motor skills. This is the ability to coordinate small muscles and movements. This can mean using the hands and fingers correctly to correlate to what they see with the eyes.
- Improves basic counting and mathematics skills. In order to play Connect 4, children need to learn basic counting and simple maths. They will need to be able to do basic addition at the very least.
- Strengthens upper extremities. By picking up discs and reaching up to place them into the slots, a child is exercising his/her upper extremities. This creates strength and better control over those muscle groups and the smaller muscles in between.
Connect Four Tips. Start Strong: For players going first, the most advantageous play is placing a checker in the center column. This prevents the other play from connecting four checkers within the bottom row. Choose Offense or Defense: At the beginning of the game, it’s best to choose a strategy for charting a path to a four-part connection.
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- NBC & The Game Farm
Jul 3, 2023 · Master that, and you’ll be a pro at all the best board games in no time. Here’s how to win Connect 4: Control the middle column. Plan your moves ahead. Play offensively whenever possible. Block your opponent. Set traps. Create the game-winning seven.
Drop your red or yellow discs in the grid and be the first to get 4 in a row to win. If your opponent is getting too close to 4 in a row, block them with your own disc! Whoever wins can pull out the slider bar to release all the discs and start the fun all over again! Includes grid, 2 legs, slider bar, 21 red discs, 21 yellow discs and ...
