Games & scoring / Board and puzzle games
Gomoku: Five in a Row with Two Players or the Computer
Play Gomoku on a 15 × 15 board: make five in a row with two players or the computer. Choose freestyle, standard or simplified renju rules.
Gomoku: Five in a Row with Two Players or the Computer: Play five in a row on a board of 15 × 15 intersections. Black starts, the last stone is marked and the winning line is highlighted. Freestyle allows five or more; standard requires exactly five. Simplified Renju marks forbidden Black moves with a cross. Choose three computer levels, optional coordinates and confirmation before placing a stone. Arrow keys move focus; Enter or Space places the stone. A full board without a winning line is a draw. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Games & party
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Place stones on the line crossings. Black moves first. Use arrow keys to move focus, then Enter or Space to place a stone. With confirmation on, select the same point twice; Escape cancels the preview.
Share this device and take turns. Swap colours starts a new game; exchange who plays Black and White.
Freestyle: five or more stones in a row wins.
Saved automatically on this device only. Changing the opponent, rules or colour starts a new game.
History and local names
Five-in-a-row games have long been played on line-intersection boards. Gomoku is known as 五目並べ in Japan, 五子棋 in China, 오목 in Korea and caro in Vietnam. Local traditions can use different winning and opening rules; this page uses the three rule choices described above. The Renju International Federation's history pages (https://www.renju.net/history/) give background on the game and its development.
Renju rules and this simplified version
The Renju International Federation publishes its rules (https://www.renju.net/rifrules/) including Black's overline, double-four and double-three restrictions. Here distinct four-stone sets count as fours, including broken and closed fours. A three must be extendable to a straight four with two empty winning ends. Future extensions and completions are checked along that line without recursive checks in other directions. Some apparent double-threes that official rules allow are therefore forbidden here. This page does not use tournament opening procedures or claim full official RIF Renju.
How to use it
- Choose two players or a computer level, then choose the rules. Against the computer, choose Black to move first or White to move second.
- Place a stone on an empty line crossing. On a small screen, turn on Confirm move and tap the same point twice.
- Make a winning line horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Use Undo to take back a move, or New game to start again.
Privacy & limitations
Your board and settings are saved in this browser on this device only. Moves stay on the device. You can continue after reloading unless browser storage is cleared or unavailable.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Gomoku?
Black plays first. Take turns placing one stone on an empty intersection. A line of five horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins. Stones stay where they are placed. Freestyle also accepts longer lines; standard needs exactly five. A full board with no winner is a draw.
Why does Black have restrictions in Renju?
Moving first gives Black an advantage. Renju balances this by forbidding Black from making an overline, double-three or double-four. Here a three can become an open straight four in one move; double-four includes open and closed fours. The two ends of a single open four count once. An exact five wins for Black unless the move also makes an overline. White can win with five or more. This simplified version checks geometric threats without the recursive exceptions in official RIF Renju.
What is the difference between freestyle and standard?
Freestyle accepts any continuous line of at least five stones. Standard accepts exactly five: a continuous line of six or more does not win. Neither of these modes has Black's Renju restrictions.
How strong is the computer?
Easy plays around existing stones and can miss threats. Normal takes an immediate win and blocks a single immediate winning threat when possible; it usually answers open threes. Hard searches continuous-four attacks and short continuations, and tries to break the opponent's forcing attacks. If your opponent has two separate winning points, one stone may not stop both. This is a small browser opponent, not a professional Gomoku engine.
Can two players play on one phone?
Yes. Choose Two players and share the phone, taking turns as Black and White. Turn on Confirm move to preview a point on the first tap and place the stone on the second tap. Swap colours starts a fresh game; exchange which colour each person plays.
Is my game saved?
The board, move history and settings are saved automatically in local storage on this device only. Reloading continues the game. Clearing browser data removes the save; private browsing or storage restrictions may prevent saving. Undo in computer mode removes your last move and the computer's reply.
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