Asunto: Connect Four Variant Solved: White Wins in Eight Moves
Rules: The variant is played on a 7x7 board. The first piece must be placed in the center; subsequently each new piece can be placed in any space orthogonally adjacent to an occupied space. The first player to get four in a row wins. The player who moves first shall be refered to as White, while the second player is Black.
The move tree below details how White can win in, at most, eight moves. Most of Black's moves are forced, and where there are options, each is played to conclusion.
1. d4 c4
2. d3 ...
Black can do either d5 or d2.
With 2. ... d5
3. d2 d1
4. c3 ...
Black can do either b3 or e3.