Gomoku
Place a stone. Make five.
The classic game of five in a row: two players, black and white stones, and a 15 by 15 grid. It takes a minute to learn, and it hides a lot of tricks. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
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Join a Game Room
GomokuGot a room code?
- Players
- 2
- You need
- A 15 by 15 grid, stones
- Style
- Line up five
- Goal
- Exactly five in a row
What is Gomoku?
Place a stone. Line up five.
Gomoku is played on a 15 by 15 grid. One player has black stones and the other white. Taking turns, each player places one stone on any empty point. Stones never move and are never captured.
The first to line up exactly five of their colour, across, down or on a diagonal, wins. Every stone you place builds your own lines and blocks the other player’s, so the game is a race with a lot of tricks to spot.
The practice table
Try itLearn it one stone at a time.
Play against a bot with our Classic rules, including the Swap2 opening. Tap a point to pick it, press Place stone, and the coach shows where it would play and why.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp looks four stones ahead.
- Four modes from the kit: Classic, Freestyle, Swap and No opening.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
Exactly five wins, with the Swap2 opening.
black and white. A ring marks the last stone. Tap a point to pick it, then place it.
Set the black stone (3 to go).
The first stone is black. The centre is the usual start.
Quick rules
- Two players take turns placing one stone on any empty point of a 15 by 15 grid, one playing black and one white. Stones never move and are never captured.
- Make a line of exactly five of your colour, across, down or on a diagonal, and you win. In Classic, six or more in a line does not count. In Freestyle, five or more wins.
- Black has a known winning plan, so Classic starts with the Swap2 opening. The first player sets three stones: black, white, black.
- The second player then chooses: play black, play white (and place the next stone), or set two more stones, one black then one white, and let the first player choose the colour.
- After the opening, the colours alternate, one stone a turn. A full board with no five in a row is a draw.
- Other modes: Swap (the second player only picks a colour after the three stones) and No opening (black starts, for casual play).
Found a bug, or a rule that feels off?Tell us in our Discord →
A little history
Five points, many names.
Gomoku is centuries old, and is played in East Asia under several names. The Japanese name means about “five points”. It is traditionally played on a Go board with the same black and white stones.
With no opening rule, the player who places first has a known winning plan. So modern tables use a short opening that lets the second player decide which colour is better. Ours is the Swap2 opening, and we show the rules before every game.
Fun facts
- The board has 225 points, and a full game rarely uses a fraction of them.
- With no opening rule, the player who goes first has a proven win. That is why Classic starts with Swap2.
- In Classic, a line of six or more does not win. In Freestyle, five or more does.
Why people love it
Simple rules. Sharp threats.
One move to learn.
Place a stone. That is the whole turn, and anyone can play it in a minute.
Threats do the work.
A line of four forces the other player to answer at once, so a single stone can steer a whole game.
The opening is fair.
With Swap2, the player who sets the stones also lets the other choose colour, so neither side starts ahead.
Quick to restart.
Games are short, so a rematch is easy.
How to play
Place. Block. Make five.
Setup
- Players: two: you and a bot. One plays black and the other white.
- Board: a grid of 15 by 15 points, with five dots as guides.
- Stones: black and white, one placed on an empty point each turn.
- Opening: Classic uses Swap2, described in the steps below.
Winning
Be the first to line up exactly five of your colour, across, down or on a diagonal. If the board fills first, the game is a draw.
- 1
The first player sets three stones
Black, then white, then black, on any empty points. Pick points that make the position fair.
- 2
The second player chooses
Play black, play white (and place the next stone), or set two more stones, one black then one white.
- 3
If two more stones were set
The first player then chooses black or white, and black moves next.
- 4
Then take turns
The colours alternate, one stone a turn. Stones never move and are never captured.
- 5
Make exactly five
Five of your colour in a straight line wins. In Classic, six or more in a line does not.
- 6
Answer every four
If the other colour makes four with an open end, place there at once, or they win.
These are our Classic rules, taken from the Feral Game Kit's Gomoku definition. The kit's other modes are here too: Freestyle, Swap, and No opening. They will be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
6 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
How a turn works
It is your turn in Gomoku. What can you do?
Scoring
First to five.
There are no points in Gomoku. The first player to make exactly five in a row wins, and a full board with no five is a draw.
| How a game ends | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Exactly five of your stones in a line | You win | |
| Six or more in a line (Classic) | Not a win | |
| Five or more in a line (Freestyle) | You win | |
| The board fills with no five in a row | A draw |
Classic: a line of exactly five wins, and six or more does not. Freestyle: five or more wins. A line only counts if it is straight, across, down or on a diagonal, and all five stones are yours.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Start near the middle.
Stones near the centre have the most room to make lines in every direction.
Tip 2
Answer every four.
A line of four with an open end must be blocked now. Check for fours before every move.
Tip 3
Stop an open three.
Three in a row with both ends open becomes an open four next turn, which can’t be stopped. Block it early.
Tip 4
Make two threats at once.
A stone that builds two lines of three at the same time can’t be blocked in one move.
Tip 5
Take the colour that looks stronger.
In the opening, count the lines and who moves next before you choose.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Gomoku puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Gomoku table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Gomoku? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Five in a row
- Five stones of one colour in a straight line. It wins.
- Four
- Four stones in a line with an open point to make five.
- Open three
- Three in a line with room at both ends. It can become an open four.
- Open four
- Four in a line with both ends open. It can’t be stopped.
- Overline
- Six or more in a line. It does not win in Classic.
- Swap2
- The opening where the second player may choose a colour or add two stones.
- Freestyle
- The mode where five or more in a line wins.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: how many in a row, how big the board is, which opening to use. We'll show you what Gomoku can do when it's ready.
In the Board Games pack
Gomoku is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which board games join the Board Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Gomoku is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Gomoku into the Board Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.