Board
Play Gomoku online
Five in a row on a 15×15 board. Simple to learn, sharp to play: build two threats at once and only one can be blocked.
2 players, about 10 minutes. Play Gomoku with friends using a room code, or solo against Nell. Free, no sign-up, works on your phone.
How to play Gomoku
Players
2
Time
~10 min
Goal
Five in a row
Objective
Take turns placing stones on a 15×15 board. The first player to line up five of their stones in an unbroken row wins — across, down, or on a diagonal. Stones never move or get captured once placed.
How to Play
1
Black opens, usually near the centre. Then players alternate, one stone per turn, on any empty point.
2
Line up five in a row and the game ends at once. Longer lines count too.
3
If every point fills with nobody making five, it is a draw. In practice the game is decided long before that.
Shapes to Know
Shape
What it means
Open three
Three in a row with both ends free. Left alone, it becomes an open four.
Open four
Four in a row with both ends free. Unstoppable — two ways to make five.
Closed four
Four in a row blocked at one end. Must be answered this turn.
Four-three
One stone creates a four and an open three. The classic winning move.
Strategy Tips
💡
Block open threes immediately; a closed three is safe to ignore for a move. Win by building two threats with a single stone, so your opponent can only stop one of them.