Checkers
Jump, capture and crown kings on a mini 6×6 board or the classic 8×8.
- Ages 6–8
- Strategy
- Planning ahead
Four in a Row
Four in a Row is a two-player game: drop tokens into the columns and make a line of four before Mathumo does. A small three-in-a-row board helps you start. Free for ages 5 to 8.
Your turn. Tap a column to drop a token.
How to play
A small three-in-a-row board helps you start. Free for ages 5 to 8.
- Choose a board: Three in a Row is small (5 columns, 4 rows) and a line of 3 wins. Four in a Row is the classic 7 columns by 6 rows, and a line of 4 wins.
- Choose who to play: Mathumo at Friendly, Thinking or Clever, or Two players on the same device.
- Tap a column. Your token drops to the lowest empty spot in it. Then it is the other player’s turn.
- Make a line of tokens in your color, across, up and down, or on a diagonal, before the other player does. The winning line lights up.
- If every spot fills up and nobody has a line, it is a draw.
- Changed your mind? Undo takes back your last drop, and Mathumo’s reply.
Tip: look for a line with one token missing, and for the other player’s line with one token missing. Fill yours, or block theirs.
What children learn
- Planning ahead: thinking about where a token will land and what your opponent can do next.
- Lines and patterns: seeing rows, columns and diagonals that are one token short.
- Strategy: blocking a line and building two chances at once.
- Taking turns: playing fair against a friend, and starting second as well as first.
More games
Sudoku for Kids
Shape and number puzzles with one answer each.
- Ages 4–8
- Logical thinking
- Shapes and numbers 1 to 6
Numberlink
Join each pair of matching numbers with paths that never cross.
- Ages 5–8
- Path planning
- Spatial reasoning
Questions about Four in a Row
How many in a row do you need in Four in a Row?
Four. You win by getting four of your tokens in a straight line: across, up and down, or diagonally. On the small Three in a Row board here, three in a line wins.
What are the rules of Four in a Row?
Two players take turns dropping a token into one of the columns. The token falls to the lowest empty spot. The first player to make a line of four wins. If the whole board fills up with no line, the game is a draw. The usual board has 7 columns and 6 rows.
Who wins if you go first?
With perfect play on the classic 7 by 6 board, the player who goes first can always win. In real games, both players make mistakes, so the winner is usually the one who plans a few moves ahead. Here the starting player switches each time you play again.
What age is Four in a Row good for?
The small Three in a Row board suits children from about age 5, who can spot a line of three. The classic board suits ages 6 to 8. It builds planning and pattern spotting, and has no reading or counting.
What is the best first move in Four in a Row?
Drop your first token in the middle column. It is part of the most possible lines, so it gives you the most ways to win. Blocking the middle also makes things harder for the other player.