Connect Four

Share a board-game break with a coworker. Drop discs and build a line of four first.

Board
2 players
≈ 10 min

Set up a game

Players: 2
Time limit: 7 minutes

The game and an office break

Connect Four: rules, tips to win and how it helps at work

How the game works

Connect Four is played on a board six rows high and seven columns wide. Red and yellow take turns choosing a column with space. The disc falls to its lowest empty square, so you cannot place it halfway up the board or drop it into a full column.

Four of your colour in one uninterrupted horizontal, vertical or diagonal line win immediately. A full board without a line is a draw. Each turn has 30 seconds. If you miss that window, the move passes to the other player.

The match also ends in a draw if neither player connects four within seven minutes.

Tips to win

Trace the square where your disc would actually land before you choose a column.
A visible gap beside three discs is not an immediate threat until a disc can reach it. Sometimes your own move supplies the support your opponent needs.
If they already have a playable fourth square, block it first, but check that your disc will land in that square rather than below it.
Once safe, look for two possible lines of four that one opposing move cannot cover.
Vertical stacks are easy to read. A diagonal can form across several columns and is easier to miss, so check both directions before every drop.

Make it an office break

A shared coffee table is enough for a one-match Connect Four break. No physical board needs clearing off the table. Two colleagues keep the game on their own screens and allow for the seven-minute match window.

One is sure the centre column is safe, then notices their disc has made a landing spot for the other's diagonal. They can compare that single move over coffee when the game ends.

If neither forms a line before the clock expires, the draw gives the break a natural ending.

Why it helps at work

Trains spotting threats and opportunities
Rules take seconds to explain
Quick matches fit a coffee break

Connect Four

Share a board-game break with a coworker. Drop discs and build a line of four first.

Connect Four

Share a board-game break with a coworker. Drop discs and build a line of four first.

Board
2 players
≈ 10 min

Set up a game

Players: 2
Time limit: 7 minutes

The game and an office break

Connect Four: rules, tips to win and how it helps at work

How the game works

The match also ends in a draw if neither player connects four within seven minutes.

Tips to win

Trace the square where your disc would actually land before you choose a column.
A visible gap beside three discs is not an immediate threat until a disc can reach it. Sometimes your own move supplies the support your opponent needs.
If they already have a playable fourth square, block it first, but check that your disc will land in that square rather than below it.
Once safe, look for two possible lines of four that one opposing move cannot cover.
Vertical stacks are easy to read. A diagonal can form across several columns and is easier to miss, so check both directions before every drop.

Make it an office break

One is sure the centre column is safe, then notices their disc has made a landing spot for the other's diagonal. They can compare that single move over coffee when the game ends.

If neither forms a line before the clock expires, the draw gives the break a natural ending.

Why it helps at work

Trains spotting threats and opportunities
Rules take seconds to explain
Quick matches fit a coffee break