Is it Possible to Always Win at Connect 4?

Is there a strategy that could win the game Connect 4 every time? Let me show you how this question leads to a bunch of surprising patterns, unsolved mysteries, and connections to other games like Tic-Tac-Toe and Chess! (See below for timestamps of different subtopics)
0:00 - Introduction
1:06 - Basic Rules and Human Strategies of Connect 4
4:39 - Zermelo's Theorem about Solvable Games
5:58 - Tic-Tac-Toe, Tic-Tac-Two, and Adding "Gravity"
9:22 - The Solvability of Chess
10:57 - Strategy-Stealing Techniques
13:46 - Why "Connect 3" Wouldn't Be Fun
15:55 - Connect 4 on Different Board Sizes
18:42 - The Mysterious Landscape of Known Solutions
21:57 - How The First Move Can Determine Everything
23:54 - Philosophies about Humans and Computers
26:54 - Outroduction

Thanks for watching! I might analyze more games in future episodes from time to time, so let me know if there are any games you personally enjoy and/or would like to see me cover (I don't play video games much so I'm more likely to check out the math within board games or card games). A few games/puzzles I’ve written brainstorm notes about which might be parts of future episodes include: Tic-Tac-Toe, Checkers, Chess, Magic The Gathering, Poker, Sudoku, Othello / Reversi, Two Not Touch (a.k.a. Star Battle), Rock-Paper-Scissors (yes it actually has "strategy" haha), and some board games I invented myself.

Here's a website page from the computer scientist John Tromp that I quoted some data from in this episode: https://tromp.github.io/c4/c4.html

Slight correction about Zermelo's theorem: there's one extra restriction about which games it describes, which is that they must be "finite" games, as opposed to games that could continue for infinitely long.

Make sure you're also subscribed to my ‪@Domotro‬ channel for bonus content! And if you need to catch up on any Combo Class episodes, I've now made playlists of each whole "Grade" in chronological order: https://www.youtube.com/@ComboClass/p...

Special thanks to all of my supporters on Patreon. Supporting the show not only helps me keep improving my content, but also lets me avoid putting any product placements in episodes. Brands (not the company that makes Connect 4 haha) have offered me money for me to advertise them during an episode on this channel but I want to avoid that unless/until necessary, so thank you to all of these supporters who keep our Grade -2 episodes from having any product placements in them!
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If you want to mail me anything (such as any clocks/dice/etc. that you'd like to see in the background of Grade -2), here's my private mailbox address (not my home address). If you're going to send anything, please watch this short video first:    • You Can Now Mail Me Things to Put in ...  
Domotro
1442 A Walnut Street, Box # 401
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If you want to try to help with Combo Class in some way, or collaborate in some form, reach out at combouniversity(at)gmail(dot)com

In case anybody searches any of these terms to learn about them, some topics mentioned in this video include: the mathematics of game theory, Zermelo’s theorem about two-person games without randomization and with perfect information, Connect 4 / Connect Four strategy and solvability, Connect 4 on various different sizes of board, solvability of chess, tic-tac-toe and strategy-stealing arguments, philosophy of computers vs. humans remembering data, fire, squirrels, and more!

This episode was directed/edited/soundtracked by me (Domotro) and was filmed by Carlo Trappenberg.

Disclaimer: Do NOT copy any dangerous-seeming actions involving fire, tools, or other chaotic activities you may see in Combo Class episodes. This is an episode of a show that is purely meant to provide entertainment and education. Also, do not copy the squirrel-feeding (my squirrels have a rare circumstance) without doing your own research first.