How to play four in a row: rules, openings and winning strategy

Four in a row is a two-player game where you take turns dropping stones into an upright board. First to line up four across, down or diagonally wins. You can learn the rules in a minute, but once you learn to trap your opponent with two threats at once, it becomes a whole different game. On Stockboi it’s called Four Stones.

Play Four Stones

What is four in a row and what does the board look like?

The board has 7 columns and 6 rows, 42 spaces in all. Each player has a color, and stones are dropped in from the top so gravity pulls them to the bottom of the column.

If the board fills up, each player has dropped 21 stones. There are 69 different lines where four stones can line up: horizontal, vertical and diagonal in both directions. The middle column is part of the most of them, the edge columns the fewest.

Four in a row rules

Players take turns dropping one stone at a time. There’s no passing; on your turn you must pick a column.
Your stone falls to the lowest empty space in the column you pick. You can’t place it at whatever height you like.
You can’t drop a stone into a full column.
First to get four stones in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line wins. Five or more in a row wins too.
If all 42 spaces fill up and nobody makes four, the game is a draw.
On Stockboi the first move switches sides every new round, so the starting advantage is shared evenly.

A round, step by step

If you move first, drop into the middle column. Your stone lands in the bottom row.
Your opponent drops a stone. Before every move, check their winning chances first, then yours.
If they could make four on their next move in a space you can reach right now, block it first.
If there’s no threat, play near the center and build stones that work on several lines at once.
Create two separate winning threats at the same time and your opponent can only block one; you win on the next move.

Four in a row openings: why start in the middle?

The middle column belongs to more possible lines of four than any other. A stone in the center helps you left, right and on both diagonals; a stone on the edge only opens in one direction.

This isn’t just a hunch, it has been calculated: the standard 7x6 board was solved by computer in 1988. The first player can force a win by starting in the middle column and playing perfectly. Starting in either column next to the middle leads to a draw with perfect play from both sides, and starting further out loses.

Nobody plays perfectly, but the lesson is clear: take the center on your first move, and if you move second, don’t be shy about stacking stones in and next to the middle.

Four in a row strategy and tactics

Build a double threat. Your opponent can only block one space per move. If you’re one stone away from four in two places at once, the round is yours.
Stack your threats. If you have two winning spaces directly on top of each other in the same column, blocking the lower one lifts you into the upper one.
Don’t play right under your opponent’s threat. If they need a space that is still floating in the air, dropping into the space beneath it hands them the winning spot.
Count odd and even rows. Number the rows 1 to 6 from the bottom. As a rule of thumb, the first player’s threats on odd rows (1, 3, 5) and the second player’s threats on even rows (2, 4, 6) are the ones that pay off late in the game, because as the board fills, the turn order usually leaves those spaces to them.
Keep your stones connected. Stones that touch work on several lines at once; scattered stones get blocked one by one.
Chain forcing moves. If every move you make forces your opponent to block, you control the tempo and decide where they have to drop their stones.

Common four in a row mistakes

Watching only your own line. Before every move, check whether your opponent can win on their next turn.
Missing diagonals. Everyone spots horizontal and vertical lines; most rounds are lost to a diagonal nobody noticed.
Showing a three too early. An open three warns your opponent and gets blocked right away. Save it for the moment it comes with a second threat.
Wasting time on the edges. An edge stone helps on few lines; don’t give up the center, especially in the opening.
Ignoring the endgame. As columns fill up your choices shrink, and the player to move can be forced into a space they don’t want. In the last open columns, count ahead who will be forced where.

A short history of four in a row

Dropping stones into an upright board to make four is a gravity-powered take on grid games about making lines. The 7x6 board people know today became popular as a boxed game in the 1970s.

In 1988 James D. Allen and Victor Allis solved the game by computer, independently of each other, and showed that the first player can force a win by starting in the middle. Four Stones uses the same board and the same rules.

How to play Four Stones on Stockboi

Vs computer: pick Easy, Medium or Hard. Easy mostly plays at random and sometimes misses a win or a threat. Medium always takes a win and always blocks a threat. Hard thinks several moves ahead.
You start the first round, then the first move switches sides every round. Your wins and losses are shown at the top of the screen.
Play with a friend: create a room and send the link on WhatsApp or anywhere else; the game starts the moment your friend taps it. If you can’t send a link, just tell them the room code.
Random opponent: you get matched with someone looking for a game right now. If nobody is around, we say so clearly and you can play the computer instead.
Online you have 60 seconds per move; run out and you lose. If you disconnect, you have 60 seconds to come back. A rematch needs both of you to ask, and the first move switches sides.
Controls: tap a column, or slide your finger across the columns and the stone drops where you lift it. On a keyboard, keys 1-7 pick a column.

Frequently asked questions

Does the first player have an advantage in four in a row?

Yes. On the standard 7x6 board, the first player can force a win by starting in the middle and never making a mistake. That’s why Four Stones switches the first move every round.

Do diagonals count in four in a row?

Yes. Four stones in a line horizontally, vertically or on either diagonal win the game.

Can four in a row end in a draw?

Yes. If all 42 spaces fill up and nobody has made four, it’s a draw.

How do you always win at four in a row?

Nobody wins every game, but holding the center, blocking threats right away and setting up two threats at once wins most of them. Your opponent can’t block two spaces in one move.

How many players is four in a row for?

Two. On Stockboi you can play a friend by link, a random opponent or the computer.

Can you drop a stone into a full column?

No. Once a column holds 6 stones it’s closed, and you have to pick another one.