TECHNIQUE 1 OF 4
Gravity and support: find the actual landing square
An empty square in a winning line may be several moves away from becoming playable. Read the stack below it before treating it as an immediate threat.
The rule and its limit
A drop occupies the lowest empty square of its column. To play at row r, every square below it must already be occupied. Adding a supporting token can make the square above available to the opponent on the next turn, so simulate that reply before building under a threat.
A common mistake
Counting four aligned positions without checking whether the last square is reachable ignores gravity. A token cannot hover above an empty square.
PLAYABLE EXAMPLE 1
Where will this token land?
Orange to move. Predict the landing square in each open column. Test a drop and undo it. A floating empty square is not a playable destination.
Loading playable study…
Use the column buttons to drop a token. Orange (O) and Violet (V) take turns. You control both sides here; there is no computer opponent. Test a reply, then undo to compare another.
Keyboard: Tab to an enabled control, then press Enter or Space. The study starts from the diagram shown; reload can restore your own saved moves.
Try the task before inspecting the answer.
Compare the starting moves
The table checks the lowest empty square in each column. Landing correctly does not establish that the column is strategically good.
| First move | Immediate effect | Checked consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | Lands at R5C1. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 2 | Lands at R5C2. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 3 | Lands at R5C3. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 4 | Lands at R6C4. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 5 | Lands at R6C5. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 6 | Lands at R6C6. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 7 | Lands at R5C7. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
PLAYABLE EXAMPLE 2
A stack changes the destination
Violet to move. Predict the landing square in each open column. Test a drop and undo it. A floating empty square is not a playable destination.
Loading playable study…
Use the column buttons to drop a token. Orange (O) and Violet (V) take turns. You control both sides here; there is no computer opponent. Test a reply, then undo to compare another.
Keyboard: Tab to an enabled control, then press Enter or Space. The study starts from the diagram shown; reload can restore your own saved moves.
Try the task before inspecting the answer.
Compare the starting moves
The table checks the lowest empty square in each column. Landing correctly does not establish that the column is strategically good.
| First move | Immediate effect | Checked consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | Lands at R5C1. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 2 | Lands at R5C2. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 3 | Lands at R5C3. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 4 | Lands at R5C4. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 5 | Lands at R6C5. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 6 | Lands at R6C6. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
| Column 7 | Lands at R5C7. | No opponent win in one move; no forced next-turn win established. |
A diagonal gap is not automatically a move
Your tokens occupy R6C1, R5C2 and R4C3, with supporting stacks beneath the higher tokens. R3C4 is empty, but column 4 is completely empty.
The tempting move
Drop in column 4 and declare the diagonal four complete.
Why it fails
Your token lands at R6C4, three rows below the required square. The attractive diagonal does not change the landing rule.
What you can conclude
Treat R3C4 as a future possibility, not an immediate winning move. Its supporting squares and the intervening turns still matter.
Try the idea in another position
Column 4 contains tokens at R6C4 and R5C4, with all higher squares empty. Where will the next drop in that column land? Is R3C4 playable immediately?
Check your reasoning
The next token lands at R4C4. R3C4 is not yet playable because R4C4 must first be occupied. After that drop, R3C4 becomes the next available square for whichever player moves next.