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Four in a Row: how to play

Four in a Row is one of the games in Classic Nook, a cosy shelf of classic games. Play Classic Nook or see all the Classic Nook games.

The idea

You and your opponent drop gems into an upright board with 7 columns and 6 rows. One side plays Ruby and the other Sapphire. Line up four of your gems and you win.

Opening it

In the Classic Nook hub, tap Four in a Row on the shelves (in Italian: Quattro in fila). Pick a mode on the menu to start. The house button at the top left always takes you back to the shelves. In a round, the back arrow next to it returns to the game's menu, and the ? button shows a short reminder of the rules.

Controls

Tap a column on a phone or tablet, or click it with the mouse on a computer, to drop your gem there. Under the board are Undo, Hint and Restart.

The rules

1. Ruby goes first. Against the computer, who goes first alternates from round to round, so you will play Ruby in some rounds and Sapphire in others.
2. On your turn, choose a column. Your gem falls to the lowest free spot in it. A full column cannot be used.
3. Line up four of your gems, across, down or diagonally, and you win.
4. If the board fills up with no line of four, it is a draw.

Difficulty levels and two players

Choose Play the computer and then a level, or choose Two players.

• Easy: the computer mostly drops gems at random, but it takes a win half the time and often blocks you.
• Medium: it looks three moves ahead.
• Hard: it looks seven moves ahead. About one move in ten it slips and plays a random safe column, so it is strong but beatable.
• Two players: two people share one device and take turns, Ruby first. There are no coins to win, and Undo, Hint and Restart are free.

Coins, Hint and Undo

The whole Classic Nook collection shares one coin count, shown at the top. You start with 30 coins, and you get a gift of 30 coins the first time you come back on a new day.

• Hint costs 15 coins and marks the best column for you, using the same seven-move search as the Hard computer, without its slips. It only works on your turn.
• Undo costs 10 coins and takes back your last move and the computer's reply, so it is your turn again. After a loss, the end card also offers Undo for 10 coins, and the loss is taken out of your record.
• Restart is free if the round is over or you have made at most one move. After that it costs 5 coins. A restart in the middle of a round is not a result, and the same side starts again.
• Against the computer only. In two-player rounds all of these are free.

What is saved

Your coins, your record for each mode (won, drawn, lost; in two-player mode, Ruby won, drawn, Sapphire won), who goes first next, and the sound setting. The record is on the menu, and it is all kept between visits.

Tips

• The middle column is part of more possible lines than any other, so it is a great place to start.
• Watch the diagonals. Most lost games end with a diagonal four nobody noticed.
• Before you drop a gem, check the spot above it: will your move let your opponent complete four?
• Aim for two threats at once, such as two different columns that would each complete a four.
• Hard is beatable. Stay calm, block every three and wait for the slip.
• A Hint on a tricky position is often cheaper than losing a Hard round, which pays nothing.

Questions or problems? Contact us.