Play Gomoku Online — Free Five-in-a-Row
A classic 15×15 gomoku board with three levels of computer opponent. No sign-up, no download — click any point to start.
Your turn — black.
What is gomoku?
Gomoku is the five-in-a-row game people have played in China for centuries, under the name wuziqi — literally “five-piece game”. Two players take turns placing black and white stones on the intersections of a grid, and the first to line up five stones in a row — across, down or diagonally — wins. The rules fit on a napkin; the strategy does not. That gap is why gomoku has survived as a folk game, a schoolyard pastime and a competitive sport with its own world championships.
How to play in three steps
- Black moves first. Click any empty intersection to place your stone. In gomoku, stones go on the crossings of the grid lines — not inside the squares.
- Take turns. The computer answers instantly (or after a short think on Hard). Stones never move and are never captured, so the board only gets fuller.
- Make five in a row. Horizontal, vertical or diagonal — five of your colour wins. If the board somehow fills without a five, the game is a draw. The winning line is highlighted in red.
New to the game? The full rules guide explains board size, the difference between free-style gomoku and renju, and the edge cases that decide close games.
Free-style or renju rules
The Rules menu switches the board between two rule sets. Free-style is the casual game everyone knows: any line of five or more wins and both sides may play any shape. Renju is the competitive version: black — the player who moves first — may not make an overline (six or more in a row), a double four or a double three, and must win with exactly five, while white has no restrictions. In renju mode the board refuses black's forbidden moves and tells you which foul you just attempted, so you can learn the rule by playing. The full renju rules guide explains all three forbidden shapes.
Three tips before your first game
- Fight for the centre. The middle of the board gives every stone more lines to grow along. Open near (or on) the centre point.
- Watch the diagonals. Most beginners defend rows and columns and lose to a diagonal four they never saw. Scan the long diagonals after every move.
- Build two threats at once. A single open three is easy to block. A move that creates two threats — a four plus a three, or two open threes — usually wins, because your opponent can only answer one.
Three difficulty levels
Easy is a relaxed opponent for learning the board. Medium thinks a couple of moves ahead and will punish careless shapes. Hard searches deeper, counts threats and will beat you if you leave a line open. You can change the difficulty at any time; changing your colour starts a new game. Use Undo to take a move back while you are still learning.
More gomoku guides
- How to play gomoku — complete rules for beginners
- Gomoku strategy — ten tips that win games
- The history of gomoku — from wuziqi to the world
- Renju rules — why black cannot play freely
- Gomoku FAQ — quick answers to common questions
Last updated: November 2026