⭕ How to play Five in a Row (Gomoku)
By Miguel Arechaga
Five in a Row, known internationally as Gomoku, is tic-tac-toe's older sibling: same concept, much more depth. On a wide board, whoever lines up five pieces in a row wins. It looks simple, but it hides a rich tactical strategy. Here are the rules and how to win more games.
What is Five in a Row?
It's a board game for two players. Taking turns, each one places a piece of their color on an empty cell. The goal is to be the first to form a line of five pieces in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
Rules and how to play step by step
- Players take turns placing a piece on any free cell.
- Whoever gets five in a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) wins.
- Pieces don't move once placed.
- If the board fills up without anyone getting five, it's a draw.
Strategy to win at Gomoku
- The key is double threats: create two lines of four at once and your opponent can only block one.
- Always watch for and block your opponent's open lines of four: otherwise they'll win on the next turn.
- Watch out for open threes (three pieces with a gap on both sides): they turn into an unstoppable four.
- Attack and defend at the same time: the best move usually threatens while also cutting off your opponent.
From tic-tac-toe to Five in a Row
If you've mastered tic-tac-toe, Five in a Row is the natural next step: same ideas of lining up and blocking, but with much more room for creativity and combinations. It's excellent training for tactical vision.
Play online with 2 players
You can play Five in a Row against another person in several ways: press "🌐 Online" and create a room to share a 4-letter code with whoever you want to challenge, use "🔍 Find opponent" to have the system instantly match you with another available player, or add a friend by their username from the 👥 Friends panel (while signed in) and press "Challenge" next to their name to invite them directly to a match.
🏆 Wins ranking
All your online Five in a Row matches are recorded on your account: every win (and every loss) adds to your history. Go to Ranking, the 🎮 2 Players tab, choose "Five in a Row" from the dropdown, and check your position against other players, synced across all your devices. For your result to count you need a free account on MundoSudoku (just a username and password, no email required): you can play without one, but without signing in your score isn't saved to the ranking.
