Game

Connect Four

Alignment and Abstract Strategy Games

Connect Four is a two-player connection game in which players take turns dropping colored discs into a vertical grid, with the discs falling to the lowest available space in the chosen column, and the first player to form a line of four of their own discs in a row, column or diagonal wins. It was first sold under the Connect Four name by Milton Bradley in 1974, building on a long tradition of grid-based alignment games. The game has been mathematically solved, and with perfect play the first player is known to be able to force a win.

Facts
Origin Year
1974 1
Originating Region
United States 1
Game Type
Board game, abstract strategy, connection game 1
Governing Body
No governing body; commercially owned by Hasbro, successor to Milton Bradley. 1
Playing Time Band
Under 30 Minutes 1
Playing Time
10 2
Age Suitability
Children 1
Designer
Howard Wexler 2
Designer
Ned Strongin 2
Publisher
(Unknown) 2
Publisher
ABRA 2
Publisher
Aero Lloyd 2
Publisher
Alga 2
Publisher
Arxon 2
Publisher
ASS Altenburger Spielkarten 2
Publisher
Aventis 2
Publisher
Berliner Spielkarten 2
Publisher
Blip Toys LLC. 2
Publisher
Cactus Game Design 2
Publisher
Cayro, The Games 2
Publisher
CHH Games 2
Publisher
Creative Crafthouse 2
Publisher
Daddy-O Productions 2
Publisher
Dilemma Games 2
Publisher
Editions ATLAS 2
Publisher
Estrela 2
Publisher
Falomir Juegos 2
Publisher
Flying Tiger Copenhagen 2
Publisher
Milton Bradley 2
Game Category
Abstract Strategy 2
Game Category
Children's Game 2
Game Mechanic
Pattern Building 2
Minimum Players
2 2
Maximum Players
2 2
Sport
Game Type (category)
Board Game 1
Game Type (category)
Strategy Game 1
Classification
Player Count
Two-Player 1
Connections

Associated With

Tic-tac-toe, Games

Connect Four and tic-tac-toe both belong to the broader family of grid-based alignment games, in which players win by placing a run of their own marks or pieces in a row, though Connect Four was not directly derived from tic-tac-toe.

Source The Oxford History of Board Games
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia, Connect Four
Wikipedia
  • Lead section, first sentence
    Connect Four (also known as Connect 4, Four Up, Plot Four, Find Four, Captain's Mistress, Four in a Row, Drop Four, and, in the Soviet Union, Gravitrips) 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.
  • Lead section, history sentence
    The game was created by Howard Wexler, and first sold under the Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley in February 1974.
  • Infobox: playing_time
    10 min
  • Infobox: ages
    6+
  • Introduction
    Connect Four (also known as Connect 4, Four Up, Plot Four, Find Four, Captain's Mistress, Four in a Row, Drop Four, and, in the Soviet Union, Gravitrips) 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.
View the Source
2. Connect Four (BoardGameGeek)
  • Playing Time: 10
  • Designer: Howard Wexler
  • Designer: Ned Strongin
  • Publisher: (Unknown)
  • Publisher: ABRA
  • Publisher: Aero Lloyd
  • Publisher: Alga
  • Publisher: Arxon
  • Publisher: ASS Altenburger Spielkarten
  • Publisher: Aventis
  • Publisher: Berliner Spielkarten
  • Publisher: Blip Toys LLC.
  • Publisher: Cactus Game Design
  • Publisher: Cayro, The Games
  • Publisher: CHH Games
  • Publisher: Creative Crafthouse
  • Publisher: Daddy-O Productions
  • Publisher: Dilemma Games
  • Publisher: Editions ATLAS
  • Publisher: Estrela
  • Publisher: Falomir Juegos
  • Publisher: Flying Tiger Copenhagen
  • Publisher: Milton Bradley
  • Game Category: Abstract Strategy
  • Game Category: Children's Game
  • Game Mechanic: Pattern Building
  • Minimum Players: 2
  • Maximum Players: 2
View the Source
Wikidata: Connect Four
Wikidata Q17254, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
The Oxford History of Board Games
Oxford University Press, 1999Associated With: Tic-tac-toe

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