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Frosted Board

Puzzle #11: Four in a Row

  • DifficultyEasy
  • To moveLight
  • TaskWin in 2
  • Main line3 half-moves

Light to move after 15 discs, with 1 column already full.

Connect four within 2 of your own moves. Exactly one column starts the win; any other lets the opponent off.

What the position is about

  • forcing sequence — The solution is a series of threats, each one leaving the defence a single answer.
  • diagonal four — The winning line runs on a diagonal, the hardest kind to see.

Finding the way in

Find the column that creates two winning spaces at once, or forces a block that sets up your second threat.

Before you touch a piece, list every forcing move you have and every threat the opponent has; the answer is almost always on that short list.

Show the first move

Start with f1. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: f1 d5 f2.

Solve it and the next puzzle of the same game is one tap away. Your solved puzzles are ticked in the list, in this browser only.