Is it better to go first or second in Connect 4?
Going first is better, and not by a small margin. Four in a row — sold as Connect 4 — has been solved: with perfect play from both sides, the first player wins. Not draws, wins. That makes this one of the rare game questions with a definitive answer. The interesting part is what “perfect […]
How Large Is a Connect Four Board?
Picture this: You’re staring at your warehouse, sweating bullets over shipping costs, and suddenly realize—wait, how much space will these Connect Four boards actually take up? If you’re importing wooden games, size isn’t just a detail—it’s the difference between profit and “oops, my margins just vanished.” Let’s talk numbers, but keep it fun. # Spoiler alert: […]
How do I win Connect Four?
The game is solved, and the solution is uncomfortable: with perfect play the first player wins. That was proved in 1988, independently, by James Dow Allen and by Victor Allis, whose strategy shows the first player can force a win by the forty-first move. The winning opening is the middle column. None of that helps […]
Connect 4 vs Chess: Which Game Rules the Backyard?
This is not a question about which game is better. It is a question about which one belongs in your range, and the two games are not substitutes for each other. Four in a row and chess sit in different parts of a store, sell in different months, and appeal to shoppers who are not […]
Life-Sized Connect 4: Fun or Flop?
A life-size four-in-a-row frame is the single most effective crowd-puller in the garden game category, and the one that generates the most after-sales problems. Both statements are true for the same reason: it is a large, mechanical, outdoor product, and every part of it has to work when a stranger drops a disc into it […]
Is Finding the Perfect Supplier Like Playing Connect 4 Blindfolded?
Sourcing a supplier is often described as a search problem: find more candidates, compare more quotes, and the right one will emerge. It is not a search problem. It is a verification problem, and the candidates are not the scarce resource – reliable information about them is. Most buyers do not fail because they could […]