Build two threats at once
A single open three can be blocked. Two open threes that share a stone cannot — your opponent only gets one move. Almost every game is decided by the first double threat.
How to play Gomoku
Everything you need is on this page. It takes about two minutes.
The rules
Black plays first. Players alternate, one stone per turn.
Stones go on the intersections of the grid, not inside the squares.
A stone never moves and is never captured once placed.
The first player to line up five stones of their colour — horizontally, vertically or diagonally — wins immediately.
If the board fills with no five in a row, the game is a draw. In practice this almost never happens.
Three things that will make you better today
Count the open ends, not the stones
Three stones with both ends free is far stronger than four stones walled off at one end. Learn to see the gaps before you see the line.
Block early, not politely
Beginners answer an open three. Stronger players answer an open two when it points at a strong direction. If you are always reacting, you have already lost the initiative.
Reading the notation
Columns run A to O from the left; rows run 1 to 15 from the bottom. The centre point is H8. We use this in shared games and in your history.
A1 · H8 · O15