I'm about to start my first games. I checked some games that have been played on the server and I see that in none of them does the first player play near the center on the first move.

A play on 1.5, which seems to be standard, is part of 7 possible fours and blocks the second player from those same 7 fours. On the other hand a play on 5.5 is part of 16 possible fours and blocks the second player from those same 16 fours.

Is the first player avoiding the center because there's a Hex-like rule where the second player gets to switch places if the first move is too good?

OK, I get it. This is Connect-4 without the proprietary name. I didn't realize what game I was signing up for. The rules could be written more clearly.

Hi Dvd,

This reply is a little late but yes, 4 in a row as played here is indeed Connect Four, the same game produced by Milton Bradley. However, I'm sure you've noticed by now the board dimensions are different. The Milton Bradley game of Connect Four is played on a 7 column, 6 row board. The game here is played on an 8x8 board. The reason for this is simple… Connect Four on the 7x6 board has been “solved”… it's a win for the first player.

There are several Connect Four programs available for download that will play the game perfectly. (There are also several interesting papers and thesis available online about the game. If you're interested, a simple GOOGLE search should turn them up.) The 8x8 game has NOT been solved and therefore is a much better game.

Connect Four on the 8x8 board is an excellent abstract strategy game, and is probably a lot deeper than most people think.

Connect Four (8x8) can also be played at other turn-based sites. It's Your Turn and Gold Token, are two others that I know of.

No, the second player does not have the option of taking the first move. There is no need for such an option. It is my belief the first player does NOT have an advantage. In fact, I actually seem to win more games when I go second.

My record at IYT was 211 wins, 22 loses, and 0 ties (before I became tired of the game and decided to “retire”) so I do know a little something about the game.

What I find amazing is the very low percentage of ties, even among strong players. I wish chess had such a low percentage.

Whoops. For the record, I forgot to include my tournament games at IYT. My Stack4 record there, including tournament games, is 419 wins, 95 losses and 3 ties.