By Knexio · Updated May 2026
Five in a Row - Connect 5 stones to win!
Gomoku, also known as Five in a Row, is a classic strategy board game built around line control and threat creation. Players take turns placing stones on intersections, and the first player to connect five in a row wins. The board looks simple at first, but the real game is about creating pressure, blocking threats, and deciding when to attack or defend.
The strongest Gomoku play usually starts in the center, because central stones create more future lines and more ways to build pressure. From there, you want to look for open-ended lines, forks, and positions that force your opponent to answer more than one threat at once. A good attack is not just a line of stones; it is a set of problems your opponent cannot solve all at once.
Beginners often focus only on their own line and forget to read the opponent's threats. That is how a harmless board suddenly becomes a losing one. A second mistake is playing too close to the edge too early, which reduces the number of useful lines you can build later. Good Gomoku play is as much about restraint as it is about attack.
Gomoku is fun because the rules are so small but the strategy space is huge. You can teach the basics in a minute, then spend years learning how to create forks, defend against threats, and read board shape more accurately. That combination makes it one of the best easy to learn, hard to master games around.
It also works well as a quick head-to-head game. Whether you are playing locally with a friend or testing yourself against the AI, every position feels like a small puzzle with real consequences. That makes each move feel sharp and meaningful.
Yes. You can play it free in your browser with no download or account required.
Black goes first in standard Gomoku.
Five stones in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins the game.
Yes. The local two-player mode is perfect for playing on the same device.
Start near the center so you can build multiple lines and respond to threats from both sides.
Keep an eye on open threes and open fours, because those are the threats that can snowball quickly.
Renju is a professional variant of Gomoku with additional restrictions for Black (the first player) to balance the game. In standard Gomoku, Black has no restrictions, while Renju prohibits certain opening patterns and winning formations for Black.
Our Gomoku game includes a 2-player mode where you can play locally with a friend on the same device. Take turns placing stones on the board — perfect for quick matches during breaks.
Gomoku is traditionally played on a Go board (19×19) with black and white stones. In theory, up to 361 stones can be placed, but most games end well before the board is full — typically within 20-40 moves.