Gomoku — also called Five in a Row — takes about a minute to learn and a lifetime to get good at. This guide will get you from zero to your first game in five minutes.

What You Need

  • A 15×15 grid of intersections (a Go board works, or a piece of graph paper).
  • Two sets of markers — black and white stones, pebbles, coins, or pen marks.
  • One opponent. (Or play our AI.)

MiniGameHub uses the standard 15×15 board. The winning condition is exactly five stones in a continuous straight line. Some casual groups allow overlines (six or more), but standard Gomoku counts only five.

Step 1: Set Up the Board

Start with an empty grid. Decide who plays Black and who plays White. Black moves first. The center intersection (or a point right next to it) is the most common first move, because it gives the greatest freedom to attack in any direction.

Step 2: Take Turns

On each turn, place one stone of your color on any empty intersection. Players alternate until someone wins or the board fills. You may not move, remove, or stack stones once they are on the board, and there is no passing in standard rules.

Step 3: Get Five in a Row

The first player to place five of their own stones in an unbroken straight line — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — wins. The line must be exactly five in standard Gomoku, but many casual games count longer lines as well.

Step 4: Draws

If all 225 intersections are filled and no one has five in a row, the game is a draw. This is uncommon between alert human players or a strong AI, but it can happen when both sides defend perfectly.

Basic Concepts Every Beginner Should Know

Open Three

Three stones in a row with empty points on both ends. If your opponent does not block immediately, you can extend it to an open four next turn, which is usually a forced win.

Open Four

Four stones in a row with at least one open end. The opponent can block only one end, so you win on the following move. An open four is the single strongest non-winning shape.

Closed Four

Four stones with one end blocked by the edge or an opponent's stone. It is dangerous, but can usually be stopped by blocking the open end.

Double Threat

A move that creates two winning threats at once. Your opponent can block only one, so you win. Learning to spot double threats is the fastest way to improve from beginner to intermediate.

Common Beginner Mistakes

  1. Ignoring the opponent's threats. Always check whether your opponent is one move from winning before you build your own attack.
  2. Playing on the edges. The center is usually stronger, especially early in the game.
  3. Wasting tempo on disconnected stones. Your stones should work together in lines, not be scattered across the board.
  4. Forgetting to "make fours." Threats only matter if you turn threes into fours and fours into five.

Your First Game

The fastest way to learn is to play. Start a free game against our AI on Easy difficulty, then move up to Medium and Hard. Losing to the AI is free tuition.

Next Steps

Once you've played a few games, read our winning strategies guide and opening theory. You'll stop losing to accidental forks and start setting your own traps.