Four in a Row is a game for two players on an upright grid of 7 columns and 6 rows. Each player has discs of their own color. On your turn you drop one disc into a column, and it falls to the lowest empty space. The first player to get four discs in a straight line, across, up and down, or diagonally, wins. If all 42 spaces fill up without a line of four, the game is a draw. This guide covers each rule in detail, the variants people play and the disputes that come up at the table.
Watch: how to play Four in a Row
How to Play Four in a Row: Rules and Tips Explained
Chapters
Overview
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 (or 1 against the computer) |
| Typical time | 5 to 10 minutes per game |
| Ages | About 6 and up |
| Equipment | An upright grid of 7 columns × 6 rows, 21 discs per player in two colors |
| Other names | 4 in a Row, Four in a Line, drop-four game |
Games about lining up four pieces are old, but the version with an upright frame, where discs slide down the columns and stack on top of each other, became widely known in the 1970s. Its gravity rule is what makes it special. In tic-tac-toe or Gomoku you can claim any empty square, but in Four in a Row most of the empty spaces are out of reach until the column below them fills up. That turns a simple line-up game into one about timing: which spaces become available, and who will be forced to give them away.
The game has been studied closely by computer scientists. In 1988, James Dow Allen and Victor Allis independently worked out that the first player can always win with perfect play, as long as the first disc goes in the middle column. A first disc in either column next to the middle leads to a draw with perfect play, and a first disc in any of the four outer columns loses. None of this spoils the game between people, because perfect play means calculating far ahead, move after move.
Setting up
Stand the grid upright with nothing in it. The columns are counted 1 to 7 from left to right, and the rows 1 to 6 from the bottom up. Row numbers matter for strategy later, so it helps to learn them now.
Each player takes the 21 discs of one color. Decide who goes first, and you are ready.
Objective
Be the first player to have four of your own discs in an unbroken straight line. There are four directions a line can take:
- Across, along a row.
- Up and down, in a single column.
- Diagonally rising to the right, like the slope of a forward slash.
- Diagonally falling to the right, like a backslash.
How a turn works
- The first player drops one disc into any column.
- The second player drops one disc into any column that still has room, including the same one.
- Turns continue back and forth, one disc at a time, until someone makes four in a row or the grid is full.
You must drop a disc on your turn. There is no passing, and you can never move or remove a disc once it is in the grid.
The rules in detail
Gravity: discs fall to the lowest space
You choose a column, not a space. The disc always slides down to the lowest empty space in that column, landing on the floor of the grid or on top of the disc below. A space higher up can only be filled after every space under it is taken. This is the most important rule in the game: if you need a space in row 4 to win, somebody first has to fill rows 1 to 3 of that column.
Full columns
A column holds six discs. Once it is full, nobody can drop into it again for the rest of the game. If you try, it is not a move; choose another column. On this site, full columns simply can’t be selected.
Lines that count
A winning line is four of your own discs side by side with no gap and no opposing disc between them, in any of the four directions above. A line of five, six or seven counts too. It often happens that a single disc fills the gap in the middle of a broken line, like two discs, a space and one more disc, and completes the line at once.
The game ends immediately
As soon as a disc completes a line of four, the game is over and that player wins, even if many spaces are still empty. One disc can complete two lines at the same moment, for example a row and a diagonal. It is still one win. Because only one disc is added at a time, both players can never have four in a row at once.
Who goes first
The rules don’t say which color starts. Popular choices are a coin toss, letting the youngest player start, or letting the loser of the previous game go first. Because the first player has a real advantage, the fairest habit is to alternate. On this site you choose the first player in the setup, and Rematch automatically lets the other player start the next game.
Drawn games
If all 42 spaces are filled and nobody has four in a row, the game is a draw. A disc that completes a line in the 42nd space is a win, not a draw. Draws are not common between beginners, but they become more frequent as both players learn to block.
Winning, drawing and keeping score
A game ends in one of three ways: the first player wins, the second player wins, or a draw. Since a game takes only a few minutes, most people play a series, alternate who starts and count wins and draws. A first-to-three or first-to-five match is a good format. This site keeps a running score for you during a session; the game-over screen shows something like “Maya 3 – 2 Leo”.
If you are learning, keep an eye on who started each game you won. Winning as the second player is harder, so it is a good measure of progress. For ways to improve, see the Four in a Row strategy tutorial.
Variants and house rules
This site plays the standard game: a 7 × 6 grid, discs fall to the lowest empty space, four in a row in any direction wins immediately, a full grid with no line is a draw, either player may start and each rematch alternates the starting player. Discs can’t be removed. There is no time limit, and Undo is available for slips; agree beforehand whether you allow it in a serious game.
Other versions you may come across:
- Pop-out. On your turn you may either drop a disc as usual or pull one of your own discs out of the bottom row, so every disc above it slides down one space. Popping can complete lines for one or both players at once, and groups handle that case differently, so agree on it first.
- Bigger grids. Some sets and apps use 8 × 7, 9 × 7 or even larger grids. More columns mean more room to build and longer games.
- Five in a row. Played on a wider grid, often 9 columns, where four is no longer enough and you need five to win.
- Avoid four (misère). The player who completes a line of four loses. Everyone ends up making careful, defensive moves.
- No gravity. Played on paper, any empty square may be claimed. It is a fine game, but closer to Gomoku or a big Tic-Tac-Toe than to Four in a Row.
- Three-dimensional. Beads on a 4 × 4 base of pegs, four high, where lines can run across, up, diagonally and through all three dimensions.
- Speed play. A few seconds per move, counted out loud or on a timer. It rewards spotting threats quickly.
Common mistakes and rule disputes
“Diagonals don’t count.” They do. Both diagonal directions are winning lines, and they cause most surprise losses.
“I can put it on top of that disc over there.” Only if that column is the one you drop into. The disc lands where gravity takes it, never in a space you pick by hand.
“Five doesn’t count, it has to be exactly four.” Any line of four or more wins.
“I blocked you, so I get another turn.” Blocking earns no extra turn. Players always alternate, one disc at a time.
“That column is full, so I pass.” You can’t pass. If one column is full, you choose another. The game never reaches a point where you have no legal move before the grid is full.
Looking only at your own plan. The most common way to lose is dropping a disc without checking whether your opponent can make four on their next turn.
Filling the space under a threat. If your opponent needs a space in row 3 and row 2 of that column is empty, dropping your disc into row 2 hands them the win. Sometimes there is no other choice, and that is what decides many endgames.
Glossary
- Disc: a playing piece. Each player has 21 in their color.
- Column: a vertical slot, numbered 1 to 7 from the left. You choose a column on every turn.
- Row: a horizontal level, numbered 1 to 6 from the bottom.
- Line: four spaces in a straight row, column or diagonal. There are 69 on the grid.
- Threat: three of your discs in a line with the fourth space empty.
- Playable threat: a threat whose empty space can be filled right now, because the column below it is full.
- Block: dropping your disc into your opponent’s threat space.
- Double threat: two threats at once. Your opponent can block only one of them.
- Odd and even threats: threats in rows 1, 3, 5 or rows 2, 4, 6. Which ones help you depends on whether you went first or second.
- Zugzwang: a position where any move you make helps your opponent, common near the end when only a few columns are left.
- Solved game: a game whose result with perfect play is known. For Four in a Row, it is a win for the first player.
Play it now
The quickest way to learn is to play a few games. Open Four in a Row to play with a friend on one device or against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard. When you are ready to win more often, the beginner strategy tutorial explains center control, double threats and the odd and even row rule.
