Dark to move after 16 discs, with 0 columns already full.
Connect four within 3 of your own moves. Exactly one column starts the win; any other lets the opponent off.
What the position is about
- block first — The opponent has a threat of their own, and the winning plan has to deal with it on the way.
- 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
Three-move wins usually start with a forcing move: a threat the opponent has to block, after which your next disc makes a double 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 c3. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: c3 c4 e3 d5 e4.
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.