Gomoku Strategy: 8 Tips to Win More Games

Gomoku is all about threats: making ones your opponent must answer, and answering theirs in time. New to the game? Read the rules first.

1. Start in the centre

Stones near the middle can grow in every direction.

2. Look at your opponent's stones first

Before each move, check for an open three or a four. Most lost games come from a threat nobody noticed.

3. Always block an open three

Left alone, it becomes an open four, and an open four can't be stopped.

4. Block on the useful side

When you block, choose the end that also gets in the way of your opponent's other lines.

5. Build a four-three

One move that makes a four and an open three at once wins: your opponent must block the four, then your three becomes an open four.

6. Win with continuous fours

A four must be answered. A chain of fours, each forcing a block, can end in a double four or a four-three.

7. Play in more than one direction

The best points work on two or three lines at once. Your opponent can't defend them all.

8. As White, defend first

In free-style Gomoku Black has the edge. As White, take the sting out of Black's attack before you go for your own.

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Last updated 2026-10-18