How to play Gomoku

Rules used here

Gomoku libre · 15 × 15. Les noirs commencent. Cinq pierres consécutives ou plus, horizontalement, verticalement ou en diagonale, gagnent.

Read a position

An open four threatens a win at either end. If you can block only one end, look for an immediate winning move of your own; otherwise the threat is decisive.

A detail to notice

Look across diagonals as well as rows. In this freestyle implementation, runs longer than five also win; do not import forbidden-move rules from another variant.

Play on PlayMind Arena

Choose Play vs AI or Local two player to begin without an account. Select a piece or intersection, then a legal destination. Use Tab to reach the board, arrows to move focus, and Enter or Space to select. Move hints and sound can be changed in board settings.

Use Undo in practice to explore another idea. Practice games stay in this browser, do not sync between devices and do not change online points. Choose Play online to enter the sign-in lobby and invite an opponent; turn and match limits are shown before play begins.