How to play Gomoku
Gomoku — also known as Five in a Row — is an elegant strategy game with origins in ancient China. Two players take turns placing stones, racing to connect five.
The goal: place five of your stones in a continuous line — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — before your opponent does. The first player to reach five wins immediately.
Rules
- Played on a 15×15 grid
- Black moves first, then players alternate placing one stone per turn
- Stones sit on the intersections, not inside the squares
- Once placed, a stone never moves and is never removed
- Win: five consecutive stones in any straight line
The shapes that win
Five in a row
Five in an unbroken line ends the game on the spot.
Open four
Four with both ends open — two ways to make five, so it cannot be fully blocked.
Open three
Three with both ends open — a threat that becomes an open four next move.
Broken three
A split shape that still fills into a four; easy to miss when scanning the board.
Strategy
1. Play the centre early
The centre carries the most possible lines in every direction. Opening near it keeps your options wide and squeezes your opponent's.
2. Build two threats at once
If two of your lines are one move from five, your opponent can only block one. Overlapping threats are how most games are actually won.
3. Hunt open fours, yours and theirs
An open four is already won. Before every move, check whether you can make one — and whether your opponent can.
4. Block before you build
An unattended three beats your own slow attack. If the opponent has an open three, answering it is usually the only move.
Pro tip: strong players count lines, not stones. Before placing, ask two questions — does this create a winning threat, and does it answer one of theirs?
Playing here
Modes on BoardDuel: vs AI — play a live engine at three difficulty levels; Pass & play — two players, one screen; Friend room — share a six-character code and play remotely.
Frequently asked
Who moves first?
Black plays first. The first-move advantage is real but modest; casual games do not need any compensation rule.
Does six in a row win?
On BoardDuel, exactly five wins. Six or more also contains five, so it counts as a win too — it is simply never needed.
Is Gomoku the same as Renju?
Renju is a professional variant that adds forbidden moves for the first player to balance the game. Standard Gomoku has no such restrictions.
What board size does BoardDuel use?
15×15, the standard tournament size — large enough for deep strategy, small enough that games resolve quickly.