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Strategy

Gomoku Strategy & Tips

A practical strategy guide for Gomoku (connect 5): fight for the centre, block open threes at once, defend on the side that builds your own shape, and win with a four-three fork.

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The core idea

Tempo wins, single lines lose

Almost every strong gomoku habit comes down to tempo. The player making threats chooses where the game is played; the player answering them only reacts. You win by creating two threats with one stone — and you avoid losing by never letting an open three go unanswered.

  • 01

    Start in the centre

    A stone in the middle of the board can grow a line in eight directions; a stone near the edge has half of those already cut off. Black should open at or near the centre star point, and both sides should keep the fight in open space for as long as possible.

  • 02

    Treat every open three as an emergency

    Three in a row with both ends empty becomes an open four on the next move, and an open four cannot be blocked — closing one end leaves the other. Unless you can win first or make a four of your own, block an open three the moment it appears.

  • 03

    Block where it also helps you

    Most threats can be stopped at two or three different points. Pick the one that also extends or connects your own stones. A defensive move that builds your next attack is how the side under pressure takes the initiative back.

  • 04

    Build forks, not lines

    A single line is easy to block. Winning attacks come from points where two of your lines cross: one move creates a four and an open three (a four-three), or two open threes at once. Your opponent can only answer one, and the other wins.

  • 05

    Use fours to gain tempo

    A four — four stones with one way to make five — must be answered immediately, so it lets you place a stone without giving your opponent a free move. Chain these forcing moves toward a fork, but check that the forced block does not land on a point that helps them.

  • 06

    Read the gaps

    Broken shapes such as X X _ X and X _ X X are threats just like solid lines: one stone in the gap makes four. Beginners lose most often to a split three they read as harmless, so scan for gaps every time you check the board.

  • 07

    Sweep all four directions

    Horizontal and vertical lines are easy to see; diagonals are where unnoticed threes grow. Before each move, check all four directions through the last stone your opponent played. It takes two seconds and prevents most lost games.

By colour

How the approach shifts

The habits above apply to both sides. What changes is who has the initiative — see the rules and game modes in the guide.

  • Playing Black

    You move first, and that is a real advantage. Press it: keep making threats so White spends every turn blocking, and look for the fork that grows out of all those stones near each other.

  • Playing White

    You start a tempo behind, so defend first. Block Black’s threes on the side that builds your own shape, avoid wasting stones on lone attacks, and strike back with a four when Black overextends.

  • Against the computer

    It does not miss an open three, so a single-line attack will not work. Set up a four-three over several moves. If a plan fails, undo to rewind and try a different order — the fastest way to learn forks.

Ready to put it into practice? Read the full how-to-play guide or jump straight in.

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