I assessed the board, which currently only has an opponent's piece in the center of the bottom row. Placing my piece in column 3 will land it directly above the opponent's piece, helping me secure control over the center. This central placement is advantageous in Connect Four, as it provides more opportunities to create winning connections horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Even though there is no immediate threat to block, taking control of the center sets me up for multiple potential winning strategies in subsequent moves.