A game from Worldwide

How to Play Four in a Row

Drop your pieces. First to line up four wins.

Origin WorldwidePlayers 1–2Price ¥200 (or ¥2,000 for all)

The rules

Choose a column and your piece falls to the bottom. Line up four in a row — vertically, horizontally or diagonally — to win. Gravity makes it faster and easier to read than gomoku.

Where it came from

Games of this family are ancient and worldwide; the commercial version launched in the 1970s and swept the globe. In 1988 it was solved by computer: the first player wins by always starting in the centre column.

How to win

Own the centre and build double threats. The middle column comes first. Always block your opponent’s three, and stack your own threats so that blocking one loses to the other. Odd and even rows matter more than they look.

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