THE FIRST MOVE

THE FIRST MOVE

The first thing that you as a player need to remember is that the best place on the board is in the middle. Playing in the middle will make it easier to create Zugzwangs (page 13) and Fork Threats (page 16). If you are playing first, it can be almost be guaranteed a win if the middle column is played. If the opponent plays first, but plays a column other than the middle, it allows you to make the

game end on a draw.

Continue playing in the middle columns for as long as possible, but if needed, choose corner spaces over edges. Remember that these are guidelines and they do not always guarentee success,

but the odds of winning are increased.

Keep in mind, that any pieces that are not vertical in row, will need a piece in the middle column to be a four-in-a-row, such as diagonal or horizontal. Gaining control of the middle column cre-

ates higher chances for winning.

In the next few pages, there are several different tatics that can be used to achieve a desired result.

The goal of placing the pieces is to create a Threat. Threats are

when there are three pieces together and only require one more

piece to become a four-in-a-row.