CONNECT FOUR STRATEGY
A game of endless strategies!
Odd Square as the name suggests is a square belonging to an odd row. Ex: d1, c1, c3, f5 are all odd squares. While in Even Square the row is even. Ex: a2, b4, c6, e2 are all even squares. Group is a set of four squares connected horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The first player, who fills a group, wins. Threat: is a group filled with three men of the same color which has the fourth square empty. The square below the empty square should be empty as well. Odd threat happens when the empty square of the group is an odd one while even threat is the same with the empty square being an even one. Double threat is two groups that share an empty odd square; each group is filled with only two men of the same color. The other two squares one for each group is empty and is one above the other. The square below the shared square is an empty one.
Tips and tricks:
The strategies are broadly of two kinds. If one aims at predicting the a few moves of the opponent and blocking those at the same time trying to make a row, the other looks at strategizing for the ultimate win. The first kind is a bit risky as it makes your position vulnerable in the long run.
First of all note that an odd number of free squares would remain on board after a move by White while an even number of free squares would remain after a move by Black. If no one wins first, and there is only one column available, last square would be occupied by Black.
Clearly, the game would be won by White if it has an odd threat and Black is unable to connect four men anywhere.
But further information would be necessary to know the winner if White has an odd threat and Black can connect four men somewhere.
Black would eventually win the game if White cannot connect four men anywhere when Black has an even threat.
The pre-condition of the two abovementioned cases is that the players had made the best moves possible.
Let us investigate the case where the situation has become more complex by both players having at least one group in which they can connect four men.
CASE I : Let White and Black have an odd and an even threat respectively and the threats (i.e. empty squares ) are in different columns, then it is still possible for White to win provided the players must connect four men positively in the group in which he has his threat.
CASE II: when White and Black have odd and even threats respectively, but the threats are in the same column, then the lower threat would win.
CASE III: The game would be drawn when both the players have an odd threat and none can connect four men elsewhere. So, when both the players are human, the safe starting point to play connect four , keeping in mind all the restrictions mentioned above, is to try to obtain an odd threat for the White and an even threat for the Black.
According to experts if both players play with optimal strategies, the first player can always win.
