What happens if the Four in a Row board fills up?
The game is a draw. Once all 42 spaces are filled with no line of four, there’s nowhere left to play. A full column simply can’t take any more discs.
The board has 7 columns and 6 rows, 42 spaces in all, so each player has 21 discs to drop. If the last space is filled and nobody has connected four, the game ends in a draw.
Full columns
A column with six discs is closed. You can’t drop into it, so you choose another column. As the board fills, fewer columns stay open, and you may be forced to play a disc you’d rather not, such as one that gives your opponent the square above it.
Agreeing a draw early
Either player can also offer a draw during the game; if the other accepts, the round ends level without filling the board.
Full-board draws are uncommon, because forced moves late in the game usually hand someone a winning square, often on a diagonal. The odd/even rule in the strategy guide predicts who that will be.
For practical play beyond this rule, read How to Win at Four in a Row.
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