Connect 4 rules
Everything the rulebook says, and the questions it doesn't answer. If you just want the one-minute version, how to play has it.
The board and the pieces
Connect 4 is played on a vertical grid seven columns wide and six rows tall, 42 slots in all. Each player has 21 discs of one colour. On Find Four red and cyan take the place of the classic red and yellow.
The board stands upright, which is the whole point of the game: a disc dropped into a column falls to the lowest empty slot. You choose the column, gravity chooses the row.
Taking a turn
Red starts
One player is chosen to go first. Online it is random; in a series, players usually alternate, or the loser starts the next game.
One disc per turn
Drop exactly one disc into any column that still has space. You cannot pass, and you cannot play into a full column.
Alternate until the end
Turns alternate strictly. The game ends the moment someone has four in a line, or when the 42nd disc fills the board.
The four ways to win
Four of your discs in an unbroken straight line wins immediately. The line can run in any of four directions, and the discs do not have to be the last four you played.
Across
Four in a horizontal row. The easiest to see, and the easiest to block, which is why good players build them as threats rather than trying to finish them directly.
Up and down
Four stacked in one column. Only possible if your opponent lets you drop three in a row unanswered, so it mostly wins against beginners or as one half of a double threat.
Diagonal, rising
Four on a diagonal from bottom left to top right. Diagonals need support underneath every disc, so they are built slowly and spotted late.
Diagonal, falling
The mirror image, top left to bottom right. Both diagonals count exactly the same as a row or a column.
When it's a draw
If every slot is filled and nobody has four in a line, the game is a draw. That takes all 42 discs, so a draw is always the last possible move of the game. Between strong players draws are rare, because Connect 4 is a solved game: with perfect play the first player wins by opening in the centre column. Humans do not play perfectly, which is what keeps it interesting.
Timed play
The board game has no clock. Online, Find Four adds one so nobody can stall: Bullet gives each player one minute for the whole game and Rapid gives five. Run out of time and you lose, exactly as in chess. Friend rooms also offer Unlimited, with no clock at all, for games that unfold over days.
Rule variations
Pop Out
On your turn you may drop as normal or pop one of your own discs out of the bottom row, sliding the whole column down. A pop can complete a line anywhere in that column, for either player. Find Four runs a separate ranked ladder for it.
Play Pop OutBigger boards and five in a row
Some editions use a wider board, and some require five in a row to win. The rules are otherwise identical. Find Four plays the standard seven by six game, which is the version that has been analysed and solved.
Rule questions
Who goes first in Connect 4?
Traditionally red goes first, and players swap colours between games. On Find Four the first player is chosen at random in online games and alternates in pass and play, with the loser starting the next game.
Can you pass or skip a turn in Connect 4?
No. You must drop a disc on every turn, even when every move is bad. Being forced to play a losing move is the whole basis of advanced Connect 4 strategy.
What happens if a column is full?
You cannot play there. A column holds six discs; once it is full it is out of the game and you must choose another column.
Does five in a row count in Connect 4?
Yes. Any line of four or more of your discs wins. In practice a line of five means a line of four already existed, so the game would have ended one move earlier.
Can both players connect four at the same time?
No. Only one disc is placed per turn, so only the player who just moved can complete a line. In Pop Out a single pop can complete lines for both players, and then the rule is that the popping player wins only if the line is theirs.
How many squares are on a Connect 4 board?
The standard board is seven columns wide and six rows tall, 42 slots in total, and there are 69 different ways to make four in a row on it.
Can Connect 4 end in a draw?
Yes. If all 42 slots fill with no line of four, the game is a draw. Draws are rare between strong players because the first player has a forced win with perfect play.
Know the rules? Learn to win.
Our strategy guide covers openings, double threats and the odd-even trick that decides endgames.