I'll play in column 2, adjacent to my current piece. This is strategically valuable because:
1. It begins building a potential horizontal connection with my existing piece in column 3
2. It maintains control near the center of the board, which provides more connection opportunities than the edges
3. It doesn't create any immediate advantage for my opponent
4. Playing in a central area gives me more flexibility for future connections (horizontal, diagonal)

Column 2 is slightly better than column 4 (the other adjacent column) because it avoids giving my opponent a chance to build toward the center from the right side of the board.