Connect Four
Encyclopedia
Connect Four is a two-player game in which the players first choose a color and then take turns dropping their colored discs from the top into a seven-column, six-row vertically-suspended grid. The pieces fall straight down, occupying the next available space within the column. The object of the game is to connect four of one's own discs of the same color next to each other vertically, horizontally, or diagonally before one's opponent can do so. There are many variations on the board size, the most commonly used being 6×7, followed by 8×7, 9×7, and 10×7.
The game was first sold under the famous Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley
in February 1974.
(October 16, 1988). With perfect play, the first player can force a win by starting in the middle column. By starting in the two adjacent columns, the first player allows the second player to reach a draw; by starting with the four outer columns, the first player allows the second player to force a win.
There are programs that play a perfect game of connect four; Mustrum (Lars Bremer), Velena (Giuliano Bertoletti), and TitOT (David Halabi) are three such programs that can be downloaded as freeware.
, this feature allows for variations of the game.
Gameplay works by players taking turns removing a disc of one's own color through the bottom of the board. If the disc that was removed was part of a four-disc connection at the time of its removal, the player sets it aside out of play and immediately takes another turn. If it was not part of a "connect four", then it must be placed back on the board through a slot at the top into any open space and the turn ends, switching to the other player. The first player to set aside ten discs of his or her color wins the game.
video game console in 1979, developed by Robert Hoffberg. It was also released for the Texas Instruments 99/4 computer the same year.
—while working at the NME
—started a rumour that Connect 4 was invented by David Bowie
, which became an urban myth.
The Hub television network broadcast a game show version of the game as part of their show Family Game Night in October 2010.
A 2011 episode of the History Channel series Top Shot
features a variation of Connect Four in which teams claim spaces on the board by throwing tomahawks
at them.
The game was first sold under the famous Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
in February 1974.
Mathematical solution
The game was solved mathematically by James D. Allen (October 1, 1988), and independently by Victor AllisVictor Allis
Louis Victor Allis is a Dutch computer scientist working in the artificial intelligence field. In his graduate work, he revealed AI solutions for Connect Four, Qubic, and Gomoku. His dissertation introduced two new game search techniques: proof-number search and dependency-based search...
(October 16, 1988). With perfect play, the first player can force a win by starting in the middle column. By starting in the two adjacent columns, the first player allows the second player to reach a draw; by starting with the four outer columns, the first player allows the second player to force a win.
There are programs that play a perfect game of connect four; Mustrum (Lars Bremer), Velena (Giuliano Bertoletti), and TitOT (David Halabi) are three such programs that can be downloaded as freeware.
Variations of play
Newer versions of the Connect Four gameboard make it easy to remove game pieces from the bottom one at a time. Along with traditional gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, this feature allows for variations of the game.
Pop Out
Pop Out starts the same as traditional gameplay, with an empty board and players alternating turns placing their own colored discs into the board. During each turn, a player can either add another disc from the top or, if one has any discs of his or her own color on the bottom row, remove (or "pop out") a disc of one's own color from the bottom. Popping a disc out from the bottom drops every disc above it down one space, changing their relationship with the rest of the board and changing the possibilities for a connection. The first player to connect four of their discs horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins the game.Pop 10
Before play begins, Pop 10 is first set up differently from the traditional game. Taking turns, each player places their opponent's color discs into the slots filling up only the bottom row, then moving on to the next row until it is filled and so forth until all rows have been filled.Gameplay works by players taking turns removing a disc of one's own color through the bottom of the board. If the disc that was removed was part of a four-disc connection at the time of its removal, the player sets it aside out of play and immediately takes another turn. If it was not part of a "connect four", then it must be placed back on the board through a slot at the top into any open space and the turn ends, switching to the other player. The first player to set aside ten discs of his or her color wins the game.
Other versions
Connect Four was released by for the MicrovisionMicrovision
The Microvision was the very first handheld game console that used interchangeable cartridges. It was released by the Milton Bradley Company in November . The Microvision was designed by Jay Smith, the engineer who would later design the Vectrex gaming console...
video game console in 1979, developed by Robert Hoffberg. It was also released for the Texas Instruments 99/4 computer the same year.
In popular culture
Broadcaster and writer Stuart MaconieStuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
—while working at the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
—started a rumour that Connect 4 was invented by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, which became an urban myth.
The Hub television network broadcast a game show version of the game as part of their show Family Game Night in October 2010.
A 2011 episode of the History Channel series Top Shot
Top Shot
Top Shot is an American reality television show that debuted on the History Channel on June 6, 2010. The show features 16 contestants, split into two teams of eight, competing in various types of shooting challenges. One by one, the contestants are eliminated until only one remains...
features a variation of Connect Four in which teams claim spaces on the board by throwing tomahawks
Tomahawk (axe)
A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
at them.
External links
- Connect Four at MathWorldMathWorldMathWorld is an online mathematics reference work, created and largely written by Eric W. Weisstein. It is sponsored by and licensed to Wolfram Research, Inc. and was partially funded by the National Science Foundation's National Science Digital Library grant to the University of Illinois at...
- John Tromp's history of solutions
- Victor Allis's Master's Thesis containing the solution of the game