Five in a Row
Five in a Row — also known as Gomoku, Gobang, or Omok — is a classic strategy board game played around the world.
What is Five in a Row?
Five in a Row is a two-player strategy game where the goal is to be the first to form an unbroken line of five stones on a grid. It's one of the oldest and most widely played board games in the world, with origins dating back over 4,000 years to ancient China.
The game goes by many names across different cultures, but the rules remain essentially the same: place stones, build lines, and be the first to connect five.
Five in a Row Around the World
🇨🇳 China
五子棋 (Wuzi Qi) — "Five-stone chess." The game originated here over 4,000 years ago.
🇯🇵 Japan
五目並べ (Gomoku Narabe) — "Five stones in a row." The professional variant is called Renju (連珠).
🇰🇷 Korea
오목 (Omok) — Korean for "five pieces." Widely played in schools and online.
🌍 English-speaking
Five in a Row or Gobang — "Gobang" comes from the Japanese word.
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Piškvorky — A popular casual game in Central Europe.
🇷🇺 Russia
Крестики-нолики 5 в ряд — "Tic-tac-toe 5 in a row." Very popular online.
How to Play Five in a Row
- 1 One player takes black stones, the other takes white stones. Black goes first.
- 2 Take turns placing one stone on any empty intersection on the grid.
- 3 The first player to connect five stones in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) wins.