Connect Four Opening: Column 2
Player 1 opens in column 2. Below is every legal Player 2 reply, ranked from best for Player 2 to worst for Player 2 (best for Player 1).
Best Player 2 reply: column 3
Resulting position: Player 2 wins (mate in 39 plies).
All Player 2 Responses, Ranked
How to Use This Page
Pick the Player 2 response you want to dig into. The leaf page shows the full board, the engine's best Player 1 continuation, and a link to load the position into the analyzer where you can play out variations.
For an overview of all seven first-move openings, see the openings tree hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is opening in column 2 good for Player 1 in Connect 4?
Against the toughest Player 2 reply (column 3), the engine evaluates this opening at Player 2 wins (mate in 39 plies).
What is Player 2's best response to a column 2 opening?
Column 3 minimizes Player 1's advantage in the engine's evaluation. See the leaf page for the full continuation.
How were these evaluations computed?
Every position was queried against the play4row solver, which combines alpha-beta search with a precomputed solution database. Verdicts are game-theoretic, not heuristic.