⬜ How to win Five in a Row
By Miguel Arechaga
Five in a Row (gomoku) is easy to learn and impossible to put down: line up five stones before your opponent. But between knowing the rules and winning regularly lies a world. These are the ideas that will make you win much more.
The centre is gold
A stone in the centre participates in lines toward eight directions; one on the edge, far fewer. Play your first stones near the centre and build from there. Giving up the centre is starting the game a step behind.
The game-winning shape: the open three
An open three is three stones in a row with free space at both ends. It is a brutal threat: if your opponent does not block immediately, it becomes an open four, which is an unstoppable win (two spots to complete five, only one can be covered). Learn to build them and to spot them at a glance: most beginner games are decided by an open three nobody saw.
The art of the double threat
Since a single threat can be blocked, the key is creating two at once. The classic pattern is the double three: you place one stone that forms two crossing open threes. Your opponent can only cover one; with the other you make four and win. With every stone you place, ask: “does this stone serve two lines at once?”. Stones that serve only one line are slow stones.
Defend without going passive
- Block enemy open threes without exception. No move of yours compensates ignoring one.
- When blocking, add value: between the two possible ends, cover the side that also helps your own lines. Defence and attack in one stone.
- Count threats before attacking: if your opponent has more live threats than you, attacking is suicide; neutralise first.
Typical mistakes
- Building lines against the edge (they get blocked with half the effort).
- Chasing your own plan while ignoring your opponent's: gomoku is lost more often than it is won.
- Making closed fours (one end already covered) believing they threaten: they have a single outlet and get covered for free.
With the centre, open threes and double threats in mind, you are already playing in another league. Now practise.
