BOARD · ORIGINAL BROWSER GAME
Connect Four
Drop pieces into five columns and form a line of four before the computer.
Implementation reviewed August 1, 2026 · Published independently by StarboxPLAY THE CURRENT BUILD
Start a round in your browser
The game runs locally in this tab. No account, download, payment, or score upload is required.
Rules and objective
Drop pieces into five columns and form a line of four before the computer. Pieces occupy the lowest available row and the board checks horizontal, vertical and diagonal sequences after each turn.
How scoring works
A player line records a 100-point win. Scores are saved only in this browser's local storage, so changing devices or clearing site data starts a new local record.
What we checked in this build
We tested full columns, player wins, computer responses, restart behavior and representative diagonal lines.
This note describes the Starbox implementation rather than the rules of every similarly named game elsewhere.
Remember that pieces fall
You choose a column, not an arbitrary square. The piece occupies the lowest open cell, so every move also changes which square becomes playable above it. A harmless-looking drop can support an opponent’s winning diagonal on the next turn.
Check immediate threats first
Before attacking, scan horizontal, vertical, and both diagonal directions for a three-piece line with a playable fourth square. Take your own win immediately. If the opponent has one, block it. A square is only a real threat when gravity allows a piece to land there now.
Prefer central influence
Center columns participate in more potential four-piece lines than edge columns. Early central pieces can contribute to horizontal and diagonal plans on both sides. Still, central preference is secondary to a direct win, required block, or move that would make a dangerous square playable for the opponent.
Look one support move ahead
After choosing a column, ask what landing square you expose above your piece. If that new square completes an opponent line, your move is unsafe even if it creates a threat of its own. This one-ply support check prevents many avoidable losses on a compact board.
Editorial and correction notes
This page was checked against the game code and its visible controls. It does not present entertainment scores as medical, educational, or professional assessments. If a rule, score, or control behaves differently from this description, email songtianqi0920@gmail.com with the page URL, browser, and device.
Play the current build, then return to compare the result with the strategy above.