How to Play Four in a Row

Four in a Row is a classic two-player strategy game. Players take turns dropping pieces into a grid, aiming to be the first to connect four of their own pieces in a straight line.

What you’ll need

Set up

  • Place the board upright.
  • Each player chooses a color.
  • Start with an empty grid.

Objective

Be the first player to connect four of your pieces in a row:

  • Horizontally
  • Vertically
  • Diagonally

How to play

  • Players take turns dropping one piece into any open column.
  • The piece falls to the lowest available space in that column.
  • Once placed, a piece cannot be moved.

Winning the game

A player wins immediately when they create a line of four connected pieces in any direction.

If nobody wins

If the grid fills completely and no player has four in a row, the game ends in a draw.

Travel play notes

  • This travel version follows the same rules as the classic game.
  • Reset the board by removing all pieces and starting again.

Farkle Scorekeeper

Track scores for up to 6 players. Edit names, add scores, and totals update automatically.

Add Score

Tip: Edit player names below, then add scores each turn. Totals update automatically. The player closest to 10,000 is highlighted in yellow.

Players & Scores

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