Connect Four
Connect Four (also known as Connect 4, Four Up, Plot Four, Find Four, Captain's Mistress, Four in a Row, Drop Four, and Gravitrips in the Soviet Union) is a game in which the players choose a color and then take turns dropping colored tokens into a six-row, seven-column vertically suspended grid. The pieces fall straight down, occupying the lowest available space within the column. The objective of the game is to be the first to form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of four of one's own tokens. It is therefore a type of M,n,k-game (7, 6, 4) with restricted piece placement. Connect Four is a solved game. The first player can always win by playing the right moves.
| Other names | 4 in a Row The Captain's Duel The Captain's Mistress |
|---|---|
| Designers | Howard Wexler Ned Strongin |
| Publishers | Milton Bradley Hasbro |
| Publication | 1974 |
| Years active | 1974–? |
| Genres | Connection game |
| Languages | English |
| Players | 2 |
| Playing time | 10' |
| Age range | 6+ |
The game was created by Howard Wexler, and first sold under the Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley in February 1974.