I examined the board. I noticed that my O pieces are currently positioned in columns 2 and 3 on the bottom row, and by dropping in column 4, I can extend my horizontal sequence along the bottom row. This move builds a potential win by forming three in a row (columns 2, 3, and 4) with an opportunity to extend to four. It also doesn’t immediately open up any winning chances for X, as column 4 is empty. Therefore, I choose column 4 to drop my piece.