Five in a Row — The Game, The Names, The Strategy
Five in a Row — also known as Gomoku, Gobang, or Omok — is a two-player strategy game that's been played for thousands of years across East Asia and is now one of the most popular casual board games on the internet.
What is Five in a Row?
Five in a Row is exactly what it sounds like: two players take turns placing stones on a grid, and the first one to form an unbroken line of five stones in any direction (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) wins. That's the whole game. No capturing, no removing pieces, no territory. Just place a stone, try to connect five, and don't let your opponent do it first.
It's the English name for what most of the world calls "gomoku" — and what China, Japan, and Korea each have their own name and competitive tradition for. The game is older than chess, older than writing in China, and yet most English speakers only encounter it through a GamePigeon invite or a random app store download. That's changing, though — competitive online play is growing fast, especially in Europe and among AI researchers.
Under standard rules, Black (who moves first) has a proven advantage — Victor Allis demonstrated in 1993 that Black can force a win on a 15×15 board with perfect play. This is why competitive play uses Renju rules, which add forbidden moves for Black to level the playing field.
Is Five in a Row the Same As...?
People constantly confuse this game with other things. Let's clear it up:
Five in a Row vs Connect Four
Different games. Connect Four uses gravity — pieces drop to the bottom of a 7×6 vertical grid. Five in a Row is played on a flat 15×15 grid where you place stones anywhere. Way more freedom, way more strategy. Full comparison →
Five in a Row vs Tic-Tac-Toe
Same idea, different scale. Tic-tac-toe is three in a row on 3×3. Five in a Row is, well, five on 15×15. The extra space makes it impossible to force a draw (which is why tic-tac-toe gets boring). Full comparison →
Five in a Row vs Go (Weiqi)
Completely different games that happen to use the same board and stones. Go is about surrounding territory; Five in a Row is about connecting five. Think of it like checkers vs chess — same-looking pieces, totally different rules. More on the shared board →
Gomoku vs Renju
Gomoku is the base game. Renju is the competitive version with forbidden moves for Black (no double-threes, double-fours, or overlines). Casual play = gomoku. Tournament play = Renju. Renju rules explained →
Five in a Row Around the World
This game goes by a lot of names. If you're searching for it online, you'll run into all of these:
🇨🇳 China
五子棋 (Wuzi Qi) — "Five-stone chess." The game originated in China and is still widely played there today. Kids learn it at home, grandpas play it in parks. Casual, friendly, everywhere.
🇯🇵 Japan
五目並べ (Gomoku Narabe) — "Five stones in a row." This is where the game got its competitive structure. The professional variant is called Renju (連珠, "connected pearls") — a deliberate rebrand from the boring original name. Full history →
🇰🇷 Korea
오목 (Omok) — Korean for "five pieces." Massive in Korea — played in schools, offices, and online. Korea's Omok platforms have been running since the early 2000s and produced some of the world's best Renju players.
🌍 English-speaking
Five in a Row or Gobang — "Gobang" comes from the Japanese word goban (Go board). People literally named the game after the board they played it on. Most English speakers just say "gomoku" now.
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Piškvorky — A popular casual game across Central Europe. The word literally means "little crosses and circles," which is a pretty good description of what the game looks like.
🇷🇺 Russia
Крестики-нолики 5 в ряд — "Tic-tac-toe 5 in a row." Very popular in Russian online communities. Russia has been a competitive gomoku force since the 1990s.
How to Play Five in a Row
The rules take about thirty seconds to learn. Getting good takes a lot longer.
- 1 One player takes black stones, the other takes white stones. Black goes first.
- 2 Take turns placing one stone on any empty intersection on the grid. You can place it anywhere — no movement restrictions, no gravity, no captures.
- 3 The first player to connect five stones in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) wins. That's it. That's the whole game.
There are variants — Renju adds forbidden moves for Black, free-style allows six-in-a-row to count as a win — but the core is always the same: five in a row, any direction. Read the complete how-to-play guide →
Winning at Five in a Row: The Basics
The game is simple, but winning consistently isn't random. Here are the three things that actually matter:
Start in the center
The center intersection is the strongest position on the board. From there, you can build lines in four directions. Start anywhere else and you're giving your opponent an advantage from move one.
Build double threats
A double threat (or "fork") is a single move that creates two threats at once. Your opponent can only block one, so the other one wins. This is the most powerful tactic in the game — learn it, love it, use it.
Keep lines open
An open three (three in a row with both ends clear) is way more dangerous than a closed three (one end blocked). Always build in open space, away from edges and opponent stones that could close off your lines.
For the full breakdown with diagrams, see our beginner strategy guide and the intermediate guide (VCF, VCT, and advanced tactics).
Play Five in a Row Right Now
You don't need an app, a download, or an account. The game above runs right in your browser. Choose your mode:
vs AI (Solo Practice)
Pick Easy, Medium, or Hard. The AI uses minimax with alpha-beta pruning — on Hard, it's genuinely tough. Great for learning patterns and practicing VCF sequences.
2 Player (Local)
Share the screen with a friend. Black plays, then White, then back and forth. No AI, no internet needed — just two people and a grid. Old-school, and still the best way to learn.
Want more options? See our gomoku apps guide for iPhone and Android recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Five in a Row the same as Gomoku?
Yes. "Five in a Row" is the English name; "Gomoku" is the Japanese name. Same game, same rules, different words. Other names for the same game include Gobang, Omok (Korean), and Wuzi Qi (Chinese).
What is Gobang?
Gobang is an older English name for gomoku / Five in a Row. It comes from the Japanese word goban, meaning "Go board" — because the game is played on a Go board. You'll mostly see "gobang" in older books and British English; "gomoku" is more common now.
Can you play Five in a Row online for free?
Yes — right here. No download, no account, no ads interrupting your game. You can also play on PlayOK (browser-based matchmaking) or through various mobile apps.
Is Five in a Row a solved game?
Yes — Victor Allis proved in 1993 that with perfect play, Black always wins on a 15×15 board. But "solved" doesn't mean "boring." The winning strategy is too complex for humans to execute, so real games are still competitive. Competitive play uses Renju rules (with forbidden moves for Black), which makes the game fair. Full explanation →
What board size do you need for Five in a Row?
The standard is 15×15 intersections (225 places to put stones). Beginners can start on 9×9 for faster games. A 13×13 board is a good middle ground. You can also play on a 19×19 Go board and just ignore the outer edges. Board guide →