Gomoku

Place stones on a 15×15 grid — the first player to line up five in a row (any direction) wins.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Gomoku?

Gomoku ("five stones") is a two-player abstract strategy game played on a 15 × 15 (or 19 × 19 Go board) grid. Players alternate placing black or white stones on the grid intersections; the first to make an unbroken row of five (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins. The competitive tournament form is Renju, which balances the first-move advantage with opening restrictions.

Quick facts

Category

Mind Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇯🇵 Japan

Estimated origin

Traditional Japan and China; renamed "gomoku" in the Meiji era

Olympic

No

Popularity

major

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified