Five in a Row
五连
A line of five stones — the winning shape in gomoku.
Gomoku Glossary
The vocabulary of five-in-a-row, from the winning shapes to the opening theory. Use it as a quick reference while you read our rules pages or study your own games.
28 Terms
Open Four
活四
Four stones with both ends open; unstoppable, wins on the next move.
Straight Four (Four)
冲四
Four in a row with one open end; the opponent must block it immediately.
Open Three
活三
A three that can become an open four on the next move.
Broken Three
眠三
A three that needs a specific point to extend; lower priority than an open three.
Double Three
双三
Two threes made at once — forbidden for Black under Renju.
Double Four
四四
Two fours made at once — forbidden for Black under Renju.
Overline
长连
Six or more stones in a row — forbidden for Black under Renju.
Forbidden Move
禁手
A Renju move that Black is not allowed to play.
Sente
先手
The initiative — the side forcing the opponent to reply.
Gote
后手
Lack of initiative; being forced to respond to threats.
Opening
开局
The first several moves that set the character of a game.
Pomegranate
花月
A standard Renju direct opening (one of the balanced starts).
Paulownia
浦月
A standard Renju direct opening, considered strong for Black.
Straight / Oblique
直指 / 斜指
The two families of Renju openings: central vs diagonal starts.
Invasion
打
A challenging point played against an opponent’s opening setup.
Guess the Stone
猜先
A ritual to decide who plays Black by guessing the hidden stone count.
Komi
贴目
A compensation point for the second player (mainly a Go concept, sometimes discussed for balance).
Renju
连珠
The competitive five-in-a-row ruleset with forbidden moves for Black.
Three-Three Forbidden
三三禁手
Black’s double-three forbidden move.
Four-Four Forbidden
四四禁手
Black’s double-four forbidden move.
VCF
连续冲四胜
Victory by Continuous Four — a forcing sequence of straight fours.
VCT
连续冲四活三胜
Victory by Continuous Threats — a sequence of fours and threes.
Joseki
定石
Established opening theory; standard, well-studied move sequences.
Thickness
厚势
A solid, flexible formation with few weaknesses.
Building a Shape
做棋
A quiet move that creates multiple hidden threats at once.
Trap
骗着
A deceptive move that aims to provoke an opponent error.
Semeai
对杀
A mutual life-and-death race (a Go term borrowed loosely in discussions).