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Play Gomoku OnlineFive in a row wins!

About Gomoku

Gomoku (also known as Five in a Row) is a classic alignment strategy game. Players take turns placing stones and try to create an unbroken line of five.

The rules are simple, but the tactics are sharp. Threat building, defense timing, and pattern recognition decide most games long before the board fills up.

Play Gomoku vs AI

Play Gomoku online against the computer to practice spotting threats and choosing the right defensive blocks.

Try to create open threes and open fours, and learn when you must respond immediately versus when you can keep attacking.

Play Gomoku vs AI
Gomoku rules illustration

How to play Gomoku

Players alternate placing one stone on an empty intersection. Stones do not move.

In standard Gomoku, you win by making exactly five in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Some variants change the exact-five rule.

Improve by learning strategy

Strong Gomoku strategy is about forcing sequences. An open four is usually decisive because it cannot be blocked on both ends.

Defensively, prioritize stopping open threes that can become an open four. When in doubt, block the move that creates multiple threats.

Gomoku strategy diagram

Frequently Asked Questions

While both games use similar boards and stones, they have completely different objectives and rules. In Go, players surround territory and capture stones. In Gomoku, players simply try to get five in a row. Go is considered more strategically complex, but Gomoku has its own deep tactical possibilities.

Learn, Play, and Have Fun!

Ready to play Gomoku online? Start a match against the computer now. No signup, no friction.