There are $n\ge1$ boxes in a line where $n$ is an odd integer. Two players, Connor and Andrew, are playing a game. On a turn, you can place a stone in a box OR take a stone out of a box and place a stone in the nearest empty box to the left AND the right if they exist. A move is permitted if resulting player position has not occured previously in the game. A player loses if they can't move.
What moves can Connor make on his $1^{st}$ turn to play most optimally. Anyone able to solve this? Note: $1$ stone per box.