Gomoku: Difference between revisions

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'''''Gomoku''''', also called ''five in a row'', is an [[Abstract strategy game|abstract strategy]] [[board game]]. It is traditionally played with [[Go (game)|Go]] pieces (black and white stones) on a 15×15 Go board<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |title=Gomoku - Japanese Board Game |publisher=Japan 101 |access-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326000833/http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |archive-date=2014-03-26 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Theory {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|access-date=2021-07-28|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722163855/http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> while in the past a 19×19 board was standard.<ref>{{cite book|title=Go and go-moku: the oriental board games|url=https://archive.org/details/gogomokuoriental00lask|url-access=registration|last=Lasker|first=Edward|publisher=Dover|year=1960|isbn=9780486206134|edition=2nd rev.|place=New York}}</ref><ref>"The rules and the history of Renju and other five-in-a-row games." ''Luffarschack'', [https://renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm]. Accessed 28 July 2021.</ref> Because pieces are typically not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a [[paper-and-pencil game]]. The game is known in several countries under different names.

'''''Gomoku''''', also called ''five in a row'', is an [[Abstract strategy game|abstract strategy]] [[board game]]. It is traditionally played with [[Go (game)|Go]] pieces (black and white stones) on a 15×15 Go board<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |title=Gomoku - Japanese Board Game |publisher=Japan 101 |access-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326000833/http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |archive-date=2014-03-26 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Theory {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|access-date=2021-07-28|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722163855/http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> while in the past a 19×19 board was standard.<ref>{{cite book|title=Go and go-moku: the oriental board games|url=https://archive.org/details/gogomokuoriental00lask|url-access=registration|last=Lasker|first=Edward|publisher=Dover|year=2011|orig-date=1960|isbn=9780486206134|edition=2nd rev.|place=New York}}</ref><ref>"The rules and the history of Renju and other five-in-a-row games." ''Luffarschack'', [https://renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm]. Accessed 28 July 2021.</ref> Because pieces are typically not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a [[paper-and-pencil game]]. The game is known in several countries under different names.

==Rules==

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The name "gomoku" is from the [[Japanese language]], in which it is referred to as {{nihongo|''gomokunarabe''|五目並べ}}. ''Go'' means [[5|five]], ''moku'' is a [[Japanese counter word|counter word]] for [[Go stone|piece]]s and ''narabe'' means ''line-up''. The game is popular in [[China]], where it is called ''Wuziqi'' (五子棋).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Renju International Federation portal - RenjuNet|url=https://www.renju.net/tournament/2316/|access-date=2023-04-30|website=www.renju.net}}</ref> ''Wu'' (五 wǔ) means ''five'', ''zi'' (子 zǐ) means ''piece'', and ''qi'' ([[:zh:棋|棋]] qí) refers to a board game category in Chinese. The game is also popular in [[Korea]], where it is called ''omok'' (오목 [五目]) which has the same structure and origin as the Japanese name.

In the nineteenth century, the game was introduced to Britain where it was known as '''Go Bang''', said to be a corruption of the Japanese word ''[[Go board|goban]]'', which was itself adapted from the Chinese ''k'i pan (qí pán)'' "go-board."<ref>OED citations: '''1886''' GUILLEMARD ''Cruise 'Marchesa''' I. 267 Some of the games are purely Japanese..as ''go-ban''. ''Note'', This game is the one lately introduced into England under the misspelt name of Go Bang. '''1888''' ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 1. Nov. 3/1 These young persons...played go-bang and cat's cradle.

In the nineteenth century, the game was introduced to Britain where it was known as '''Go Bang''', said to be a corruption of the Japanese word ''[[Go board|goban]]'', which was itself adapted from the Chinese ''k'i pan (qí pán)'' "go-board."<ref>OED citations: '''1886'<nowiki/>'' GUILLEMARD ''Cruise 'Marchesa''' I. 267 Some of the games are purely Japanese..as ''go-ban''. ''Note'', This game is the one lately introduced into England under the misspelt name of Go Bang. '''1888''' ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 1. Nov. 3/1 These young persons...played go-bang and cat's cradle.

The board below shows the three types of winning arrangements as they might appear on an 8x8 Petteia board. Obviously the cramped conditions would result in a draw most of the time, depending on the rules. Play would be easier on a larger Latrunculi board of 12x8 or even 10x11.

.</ref>

.</ref> The game gained some popularity, and in the 1920s it was produced commercially by companies such as The Chad Valley Co Ltd in a modified version marketed as ''Spoil Five.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chad Valley Co Ltd. {{!}} Board Game Publisher {{!}} BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/507/chad-valley-co-ltd|website=boardgamegeek.com|access-date=2025-12-01|language=en-US}}</ref>''<ref>{{Cite web|title=The History and Origins of Gomoku: A Timeless Strategy Game|url=https://tictactoefree.com/tips/history-of-gomoku|website=tictactoefree.com|access-date=2025-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Spoil Five|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26164/spoil-five-board-game-chad-valley-company/|date=1920–1939|access-date=2025-12-01|last=Chad Valley Company Limited}}</ref>

== First-player advantage ==

Gomoku has a strong advantage for the first player when unrestricted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|url-status=~~live~~|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/~~20210722164845if_~~/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025|archive-date=2021-07-22|access-date=2021-01-26|website=boardgamegeek.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Game database {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|access-date=2021-01-26|website=gomokuworld.com}}</ref>

Gomoku has a strong advantage for the first player when unrestricted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722164845/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|archive-date=2021-07-22|access-date=2021-01-26|website=boardgamegeek.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Game database {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|access-date=2021-01-26|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2023-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201165207/http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Championships in gomoku previously used the "[[#Pro|'''Pro''']]" opening rule, which mandated that the first player place the first stone in the center of the board. The second player's stone placement was unrestricted. The first player's second stone had to be placed at least three intersections away from the first player's first stone. This rule was used in the 1989 and 1991 world championships.<ref name=":5" /> When the win–loss ratio of these two championships was calculated, the first player (black) won 67 percent of games.

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=== Tournament opening rules ===

Tournament rules are used in professional play to balance the game and mitigate the first player advantage. The tournament rule used for the gomoku world championships since 2009 is the Swap2 opening rule. For all of the following professional rules, an overline (six or more stones in a row) does not count as a win.<ref name=":3" />

Tournament rules are used in professional play to balance the game and mitigate the first player advantage. The tournament rule used for the gomoku world championships since 2009 is the Swap2 opening rule. For all of the following professional rules, an overline of six or more stones in a row does not count as a win.<ref name=":3" />

[[File:Swap Rule Gomoku.jpg|left|thumb|'''Swap''' Opening Rule: Tentative Black places two black stones and one white stone anywhere on the board. Tentative white chooses which color to play as.]]

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# Or they can place two more stones, one black and one white, and pass the choice of which color to play back to the tentative first player.

Because the tentative first player ~~doesn't~~ know where the tentative second player will place the additional stones if they take option 3, the swap2 opening protocol limits excessive studying of a line by only one of the players.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" />

Because the tentative first player does not know where the tentative second player will place the additional stones if they take option 3, the swap2 opening protocol limits excessive studying of a line by only one of the players.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" />

== Theoretical generalizations ==

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|{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Adrian Fitzermann]]

|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Martin Muzika]]

|Swap2

|-

|2025

|{{flagdeco|Czechia}} [[Brno]], [[Czech Republic]]

|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Pavel Laube]]

|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Martin Muzika]]

|{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Adrian Fitzermann]]

|Swap2

|}

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!Bronze

!Opening rule

|- ~~style="vertical-align: top;"~~

|-

|2016

|{{flagdeco|Estonia}} [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]

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|Cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]

|

|}

|-

|2022

| colspan="5" |

{|align="center"

|Not organised

|

|}

|-

|2024

|{{flagdeco|China}} [[Xintai]], [[China]]

| colspan="4" |

{|align="center"

|Organised but not played

|

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== Computers and gomoku ==

Researchers have been applying [[artificial intelligence]] techniques to playing gomoku for several decades. [[Joseph Weizenbaum]] published a short paper in [[Datamation]] in 1962 entitled "How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent"<ref>'' [https://ebiquity.umbc.edu/paper/html/id/1130/ How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent]'', Datamation, February, 1962</ref> that described the strategy used in a gomoku program that could beat novice players. In 1994, [[L. Victor Allis]] raised the algorithm of proof-number search (pn-search) and dependency-based search (db-search), and proved that when starting from an empty 15×15 board, the first player has a winning strategy using these searching algorithms.<ref name=":0">{{cite book | author = L. Victor Allis | title = Searching for Solutions in Games and Artificial Intelligence | publisher = Ph.D. thesis, University of Limburg, The Netherlands | year = 1994 | isbn = 90-900748-8-0 | pages=121–154 | author-link = L. Victor Allis | citeseerx = 10.1.1.99.5364 }}</ref> This applies to both free-style gomoku and standard gomoku without any opening rules. It seems very likely that black wins on larger boards too. In any size of a board, freestyle gomoku is an [[m,n,k-game|''m'',''n'',''k''-game]], hence it is known that the first player can force a win or a draw. In 2001, Allis's winning strategy was also approved for renju, a variation of gomoku, when there was no limitation on the opening stage.<ref>{{cite journal | author=J. Wágner and I. Virág | s2cid=207577292 | title=Solving Renju | journal=ICGA Journal | volume=24 | number=1 | pages=30–35 | date=Mar 2001 | doi=10.3233/ICG-2001-24104 }}</ref>

Researchers have been applying [[artificial intelligence]] techniques to playing gomoku for several decades. [[Joseph Weizenbaum]] published a short paper in [[Datamation]] in 1962 entitled "How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent"<ref>'' [https://ebiquity.umbc.edu/paper/html/id/1130/ How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent]'', Datamation, February, 1962</ref> that described the strategy used in a gomoku program that could beat novice players. In 1994, [[L. Victor Allis]] raised the algorithm of [[proof-number search]] (pn-search) and dependency-based search (db-search), and proved that when starting from an empty 15×15 board, the first player has a winning strategy using these searching algorithms.<ref name=":0">{{cite book | author = L. Victor Allis | title = Searching for Solutions in Games and Artificial Intelligence | publisher = Ph.D. thesis, University of Limburg, The Netherlands | year = 1994 | isbn = 90-900748-8-0 | pages=121–154 | author-link = L. Victor Allis | citeseerx = 10.1.1.99.5364 }}</ref> This applies to both free-style gomoku and standard gomoku without any opening rules. It seems very likely that black wins on larger boards too. In any size of a board, freestyle gomoku is an [[m,n,k-game|''m'',''n'',''k''-game]], hence it is known that the first player can force a win or a draw. In 2001, Allis's winning strategy was also approved for renju, a variation of gomoku, when there was no limitation on the opening stage.<ref>{{cite journal | author=J. Wágner and I. Virág | s2cid=207577292 | title=Solving Renju | journal=ICGA Journal | volume=24 | number=1 | pages=30–35 | date=Mar 2001 | doi=10.3233/ICG-2001-24104 }}</ref>

However, neither the theoretical values of all legal positions, nor the opening rules such as Swap2 used by the professional gomoku players have been solved yet, so the topic of gomoku artificial intelligence is still a challenge for computer scientists, such as the problem on how to improve the gomoku algorithms to make them more strategic and competitive. Most [[state-of-the-art]] gomoku algorithms are based on the [[alpha-beta pruning]] framework.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

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Reisch proved that [[Generalized game|Generalized]] gomoku is [[PSPACE-complete]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Stefan Reisch | title = Gobang ist PSPACE-vollständig (Gomoku is PSPACE-complete) | journal = Acta Informatica | volume = 13 | pages = 59–66 | year = 1980 | doi=10.1007/bf00288536| s2cid = 21455572 }}</ref> He also observed that the reduction can be adapted to the rules of k-in-a-Row for fixed k. Although he did not specify exactly which values of k are allowed, the reduction would appear to generalize to any k ≥ 5.<ref>{{cite arXiv|last1=Demaine|first1=Erik|last2=Hearn|first2=Robert|author2-link=Bob Hearn|title=Playing Games with Algorithms: Algorithmic Combinatorial Game Theory|eprint=cs/0106019v2|year=2001}}</ref>

There exist several well-known tournaments for gomoku programs since 1989. The [[Computer Olympiad]] started with the gomoku game in 1989, but gomoku has not been in the list since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/game.php?id=30|title=Go-Moku (ICGA Tournaments)|website=game-ai-forum.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> The Renju World Computer Championship was started in 1991, and held for 4 times until 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.5stone.net/wc/worldcup_en.html|title=Renju Computer World Championship|website=5stone.net|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nosovsky.narod.ru/forth.html|title=4-th World Championship among Computer programs|website=Nosovsky Japanese Games Home Page|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> The [[Gomocup]] tournament has been held annually since 2000, with more than thirty participants from about ten countries taking part.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/home/|title=Gomocup - The Gomoku AI Tournament|website=Gomocup|access-date=2016-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604205643/http://gomocup.org/home/|archive-date=2016-06-04}}</ref> The Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Tournament was played twice in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|title=Hungarian Computer Gomoku Tournament 2005 {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|website=gomokuworld.com|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sze.hu/~gtakacs/tournament/index.html|title=2nd Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Open Tournament|website=sze.hu|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> There were also two Computer vs. Human tournaments played in the Czech Republic, in 2006 and 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/results/ai-human-2006|title=The 1st tournament AI vs. Human (November the 11th, 2006) {{!}} Gomocup|website=gomocup.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.piskvorky.cz/clanky/zajimavosti-ze-sveta-piskvorek-a-renju/ai-vs-clovek-2011-2/|title=AI vs. Člověk 2011 {{!}} Česká federace piškvorek a renju|website=piskvorky.cz|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> Not until 2017 did the computer programs prove capable of outperforming the world human champion in public competitions. In the Gomoku World Championship 2017, there was a match between the world champion program [[Yixin (software)|Yixin]] and the world champion human player Rudolf Dupszki. Yixin won the match with a score of 2–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aiexp.info/ai-vs-human-gomoku-2.html|title=Rudolf Dupszki versus Yixin|website=AIEXP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gomokuworld/rudolf-dupszki-vs-yixin-2017/857225044431377/|title=Rudolf Dupszki vs. Yixin 2017|website=Facebook}}</ref>

There exist several well-known tournaments for gomoku programs since 1989. The [[Computer Olympiad]] started with the gomoku game in 1989, but gomoku has not been in the list since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/game.php?id=30|title=Go-Moku (ICGA Tournaments)|website=game-ai-forum.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> The Renju World Computer Championship was started in 1991, and held for 4 times until 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.5stone.net/wc/worldcup_en.html|title=Renju Computer World Championship|website=5stone.net|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nosovsky.narod.ru/forth.html|title=4-th World Championship among Computer programs|website=Nosovsky Japanese Games Home Page|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> The [[Gomocup]] tournament has been held annually since 2000, with more than thirty participants from about ten countries taking part.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/home/|title=Gomocup - The Gomoku AI Tournament|website=Gomocup|access-date=2016-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604205643/http://gomocup.org/home/|archive-date=2016-06-04}}</ref> The Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Tournament was played twice in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|title=Hungarian Computer Gomoku Tournament 2005 {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|website=gomokuworld.com|access-date=2016-06-02|archive-date=2017-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925133203/http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sze.hu/~gtakacs/tournament/index.html|title=2nd Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Open Tournament|website=sze.hu|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> There were also two Computer vs. Human tournaments played in the Czech Republic, in 2006 and 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/results/ai-human-2006|title=The 1st tournament AI vs. Human (November the 11th, 2006) {{!}} Gomocup|website=gomocup.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.piskvorky.cz/clanky/zajimavosti-ze-sveta-piskvorek-a-renju/ai-vs-clovek-2011-2/|title=AI vs. Člověk 2011 {{!}} Česká federace piškvorek a renju|website=piskvorky.cz|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> Not until 2017 did the computer programs prove capable of outperforming the world human champion in public competitions. In the Gomoku World Championship 2017, there was a match between the world champion program [[Yixin (software)|Yixin]] and the world champion human player Rudolf Dupszki. Yixin won the match with a score of 2–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aiexp.info/ai-vs-human-gomoku-2.html|title=Rudolf Dupszki versus Yixin|website=AIEXP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gomokuworld/rudolf-dupszki-vs-yixin-2017/857225044431377/|title=Rudolf Dupszki vs. Yixin 2017|website=Facebook}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

Gomoku was featured in a 2018 Korean film by Baek Seung-Hwa starring Park Se-wan titled [[Omok Girl]]. The film follows Baduk Lee (Park Se-wan), a former go prodigy who retired after a humiliating loss on time. Years later, Baduk Lee works part time at a go club, where she meets Ahn Kyung Kim, who introduces her to an Omok (Korean gomoku) tournament. Lee is initially uninterested and considers Omok a children's game, but after her roommate loses money on an impulse purchase, she enters the tournament for the prize money and loses badly, being humiliated once again. Afterwards, she begins training to redeem herself and becomes a serious omok player.<ref>Seung-hwa, Baek, writer. ''Omok Girl''. Performance by Park Se-wan, SK Telecom, 2018.</ref>

In the video game ''[[Vintage Story]]'', omok boards and pieces (made of gold and ~~lead~~) can occasionally be found in ruins or as part of luxury traders' inventory. The board and pieces are functional, allowing players to have actual omok matches. In-universe, omok is so far the only game surviving from the times before the Rot.

In the video game ''[[Vintage Story]]'', omok boards and pieces (made of gold, lead, and copper) can occasionally be found in ruins or as part of luxury traders' inventory. The board and pieces are functional, allowing players to have actual omok matches. In-universe, omok is so far the only game surviving from the times before the Rot.<ref>https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Omok, Vintage Story, Anego Studios, 2016</ref>

==See also==

* [[Renju]]

* [[Pente]]

* [[Pegity]]

* [[Connect6]]

* [[Connection game]]

* [[Pegity]]

* [[Pente]]

* [[Renju]]

* [[Reversi]]

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[[Category:Gomoku| ]]

[[Category:Abstract strategy games]]

[[Category:Traditional board games]]

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 | footnotes     =
 }}
-'''''Gomoku''''', also called ''five in a row'', is an [[Abstract strategy game|abstract strategy]] [[board game]]. It is traditionally played with [[Go (game)|Go]] pieces (black and white stones) on a 15×15 Go board<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |title=Gomoku - Japanese Board Game |publisher=Japan 101 |access-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326000833/http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |archive-date=2014-03-26 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Theory {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|access-date=2021-07-28|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722163855/http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> while in the past a 19×19 board was standard.<ref>{{cite book|title=Go and go-moku: the oriental board games|url=https://archive.org/details/gogomokuoriental00lask|url-access=registration|last=Lasker|first=Edward|publisher=Dover|year=1960|isbn=9780486206134|edition=2nd rev.|place=New York}}</ref><ref>"The rules and the history of Renju and other five-in-a-row games." ''Luffarschack'', [https://renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm]. Accessed 28 July 2021.</ref> Because pieces are typically not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a [[paper-and-pencil game]]. The game is known in several countries under different names.
+'''''Gomoku''''', also called ''five in a row'', is an [[Abstract strategy game|abstract strategy]] [[board game]]. It is traditionally played with [[Go (game)|Go]] pieces (black and white stones) on a 15×15 Go board<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |title=Gomoku - Japanese Board Game |publisher=Japan 101 |access-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326000833/http://www.japan-101.com/culture/gomoku_japanese_board_game.htm |archive-date=2014-03-26 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Theory {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|access-date=2021-07-28|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2021-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722163855/http://gomokuworld.com/gomoku/1|url-status=dead}}</ref> while in the past a 19×19 board was standard.<ref>{{cite book|title=Go and go-moku: the oriental board games|url=https://archive.org/details/gogomokuoriental00lask|url-access=registration|last=Lasker|first=Edward|publisher=Dover|year=2011|orig-date=1960|isbn=9780486206134|edition=2nd rev.|place=New York}}</ref><ref>"The rules and the history of Renju and other five-in-a-row games." ''Luffarschack'', [https://renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm renju.se/rif/r1rulhis.htm]. Accessed 28 July 2021.</ref> Because pieces are typically not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a [[paper-and-pencil game]]. The game is known in several countries under different names.
 ==Rules==
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 The name "gomoku" is from the [[Japanese language]], in which it is referred to as {{nihongo|''gomokunarabe''|五目並べ}}. ''Go'' means [[5|five]], ''moku'' is a [[Japanese counter word|counter word]] for [[Go stone|piece]]s and ''narabe'' means ''line-up''. The game is popular in [[China]], where it is called ''Wuziqi'' (五子棋).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Renju International Federation portal - RenjuNet|url=https://www.renju.net/tournament/2316/|access-date=2023-04-30|website=www.renju.net}}</ref> ''Wu'' (五 wǔ) means ''five'', ''zi'' (子 zǐ) means ''piece'', and ''qi'' ([[:zh:棋|棋]] qí) refers to a board game category in Chinese. The game is also popular in [[Korea]], where it is called ''omok'' (오목 [五目]) which has the same structure and origin as the Japanese name.
-In the nineteenth century, the game was introduced to Britain where it was known as '''Go Bang''', said to be a corruption of the Japanese word ''[[Go board|goban]]'', which was itself adapted from the Chinese ''k'i pan (qí pán)'' "go-board."<ref>OED citations: '''1886''' GUILLEMARD ''Cruise 'Marchesa''' I. 267 Some of the games are purely Japanese..as ''go-ban''. ''Note'', This game is the one lately introduced into England under the misspelt name of Go Bang. '''1888''' ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 1. Nov. 3/1 These young persons...played go-bang and cat's cradle.
+In the nineteenth century, the game was introduced to Britain where it was known as '''Go Bang''', said to be a corruption of the Japanese word ''[[Go board|goban]]'', which was itself adapted from the Chinese ''k'i pan (qí pán)'' "go-board."<ref>OED citations: '''1886'<nowiki/>'' GUILLEMARD ''Cruise 'Marchesa''' I. 267 Some of the games are purely Japanese..as ''go-ban''. ''Note'', This game is the one lately introduced into England under the misspelt name of Go Bang. '''1888''' ''Pall Mall Gazette'' 1. Nov. 3/1 These young persons...played go-bang and cat's cradle.
 The board below shows the three types of winning arrangements as they might appear on an 8x8 Petteia board. Obviously the cramped conditions would result in a draw most of the time, depending on the rules. Play would be easier on a larger Latrunculi board of 12x8 or even 10x11.
-.</ref>
+.</ref> The game gained some popularity, and in the 1920s it was produced commercially by companies such as The Chad Valley Co Ltd in a modified version marketed as ''Spoil Five.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chad Valley Co Ltd. {{!}} Board Game Publisher {{!}} BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/507/chad-valley-co-ltd|website=boardgamegeek.com|access-date=2025-12-01|language=en-US}}</ref>''<ref>{{Cite web|title=The History and Origins of Gomoku: A Timeless Strategy Game|url=https://tictactoefree.com/tips/history-of-gomoku|website=tictactoefree.com|access-date=2025-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Spoil Five|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26164/spoil-five-board-game-chad-valley-company/|date=1920–1939|access-date=2025-12-01|last=Chad Valley Company Limited}}</ref>
 == First-player advantage ==
-Gomoku has a strong advantage for the first player when unrestricted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722164845if_/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025|archive-date=2021-07-22|access-date=2021-01-26|website=boardgamegeek.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Game database {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|access-date=2021-01-26|website=gomokuworld.com}}</ref>
+Gomoku has a strong advantage for the first player when unrestricted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BoardGameGeek|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722164845/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/969642/article/36840025#36840025|archive-date=2021-07-22|access-date=2021-01-26|website=boardgamegeek.com}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Game database {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|url=http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|access-date=2021-01-26|website=gomokuworld.com|archive-date=2023-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201165207/http://gomokuworld.com/gamedatabase|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 Championships in gomoku previously used the "[[#Pro|'''Pro''']]" opening rule, which mandated that the first player place the first stone in the center of the board. The second player's stone placement was unrestricted. The first player's second stone had to be placed at least three intersections away from the first player's first stone. This rule was used in the 1989 and 1991 world championships.<ref name=":5" /> When the win–loss ratio of these two championships was calculated, the first player (black) won 67 percent of games.
@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 === Tournament opening rules ===
-Tournament rules are used in professional play to balance the game and mitigate the first player advantage. The tournament rule used for the gomoku world championships since 2009 is the Swap2 opening rule. For all of the following professional rules, an overline (six or more stones in a row) does not count as a win.<ref name=":3" />
+Tournament rules are used in professional play to balance the game and mitigate the first player advantage. The tournament rule used for the gomoku world championships since 2009 is the Swap2 opening rule. For all of the following professional rules, an overline of six or more stones in a row does not count as a win.<ref name=":3" />
 [[File:Swap Rule Gomoku.jpg|left|thumb|'''Swap''' Opening Rule: Tentative Black places two black stones and one white stone anywhere on the board. Tentative white chooses which color to play as.]]
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 # Or they can place two more stones, one black and one white, and pass the choice of which color to play back to the tentative first player.
-Because the tentative first player doesn't know where the tentative second player will place the additional stones if they take option 3, the swap2 opening protocol limits excessive studying of a line by only one of the players.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" />
+Because the tentative first player does not know where the tentative second player will place the additional stones if they take option 3, the swap2 opening protocol limits excessive studying of a line by only one of the players.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" />
 == Theoretical generalizations ==
@@ Line 187: / Line 187: @@
 |{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Adrian Fitzermann]]
 |{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Martin Muzika]]
+|Swap2
+|-
+|2025
+|{{flagdeco|Czechia}} [[Brno]], [[Czech Republic]]
+|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Pavel Laube]]
+|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Martin Muzika]]
+|{{flagicon|Poland}} [[Adrian Fitzermann]]
 |Swap2
 |}
@@ Line 198: / Line 205: @@
 !Bronze
 !Opening rule
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
+|-
 |2016
 |{{flagdeco|Estonia}} [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]
@@ Line 218: / Line 225: @@
 |Cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]
 |
+|
+|
+|}
+|-
+|2022
+| colspan="5" |
+{|align="center"
+|Not organised
+|
+|
+|}
+|-
+|2024
+|{{flagdeco|China}} [[Xintai]], [[China]]
+| colspan="4" |
+{|align="center"
+|Organised but not played
 |
 |
@@ Line 225: / Line 249: @@
 == Computers and gomoku ==
-Researchers have been applying [[artificial intelligence]] techniques to playing gomoku for several decades. [[Joseph Weizenbaum]] published a short paper in [[Datamation]] in 1962 entitled "How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent"<ref>'' [https://ebiquity.umbc.edu/paper/html/id/1130/ How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent]'', Datamation, February, 1962</ref> that described the strategy used in a gomoku program that could beat novice players. In 1994, [[L. Victor Allis]] raised the algorithm of proof-number search (pn-search) and dependency-based search (db-search), and proved that when starting from an empty 15×15 board, the first player has a winning strategy using these searching algorithms.<ref name=":0">{{cite book | author = L. Victor Allis | title = Searching for Solutions in Games and Artificial Intelligence | publisher = Ph.D. thesis, University of Limburg, The Netherlands | year = 1994 | isbn = 90-900748-8-0 | pages=121–154 | author-link = L. Victor Allis | citeseerx = 10.1.1.99.5364 }}</ref> This applies to both free-style gomoku and standard gomoku without any opening rules. It seems very likely that black wins on larger boards too. In any size of a board, freestyle gomoku is an [[m,n,k-game|''m'',''n'',''k''-game]], hence it is known that the first player can force a win or a draw. In 2001, Allis's winning strategy was also approved for renju, a variation of gomoku, when there was no limitation on the opening stage.<ref>{{cite journal | author=J. Wágner and I. Virág | s2cid=207577292 | title=Solving Renju | journal=ICGA Journal | volume=24 | number=1 | pages=30–35 | date=Mar 2001 | doi=10.3233/ICG-2001-24104 }}</ref>
+Researchers have been applying [[artificial intelligence]] techniques to playing gomoku for several decades. [[Joseph Weizenbaum]] published a short paper in [[Datamation]] in 1962 entitled "How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent"<ref>'' [https://ebiquity.umbc.edu/paper/html/id/1130/ How to Make a Computer Appear Intelligent]'', Datamation, February, 1962</ref> that described the strategy used in a gomoku program that could beat novice players. In 1994, [[L. Victor Allis]] raised the algorithm of [[proof-number search]] (pn-search) and dependency-based search (db-search), and proved that when starting from an empty 15×15 board, the first player has a winning strategy using these searching algorithms.<ref name=":0">{{cite book | author = L. Victor Allis | title = Searching for Solutions in Games and Artificial Intelligence | publisher = Ph.D. thesis, University of Limburg, The Netherlands | year = 1994 | isbn = 90-900748-8-0 | pages=121–154 | author-link = L. Victor Allis | citeseerx = 10.1.1.99.5364 }}</ref> This applies to both free-style gomoku and standard gomoku without any opening rules. It seems very likely that black wins on larger boards too. In any size of a board, freestyle gomoku is an [[m,n,k-game|''m'',''n'',''k''-game]], hence it is known that the first player can force a win or a draw. In 2001, Allis's winning strategy was also approved for renju, a variation of gomoku, when there was no limitation on the opening stage.<ref>{{cite journal | author=J. Wágner and I. Virág | s2cid=207577292 | title=Solving Renju | journal=ICGA Journal | volume=24 | number=1 | pages=30–35 | date=Mar 2001 | doi=10.3233/ICG-2001-24104 }}</ref>
 However, neither the theoretical values of all legal positions, nor the opening rules such as Swap2 used by the professional gomoku players have been solved yet, so the topic of gomoku artificial intelligence is still a challenge for computer scientists, such as the problem on how to improve the gomoku algorithms to make them more strategic and competitive. Most [[state-of-the-art]] gomoku algorithms are based on the [[alpha-beta pruning]] framework.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
@@ Line 231: / Line 255: @@
 Reisch proved that [[Generalized game|Generalized]] gomoku is [[PSPACE-complete]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Stefan Reisch | title = Gobang ist PSPACE-vollständig (Gomoku is PSPACE-complete) | journal = Acta Informatica | volume = 13 | pages = 59–66 | year = 1980 | doi=10.1007/bf00288536| s2cid = 21455572 }}</ref> He also observed that the reduction can be adapted to the rules of k-in-a-Row for fixed k. Although he did not specify exactly which values of k are allowed, the reduction would appear to generalize to any k ≥ 5.<ref>{{cite arXiv|last1=Demaine|first1=Erik|last2=Hearn|first2=Robert|author2-link=Bob Hearn|title=Playing Games with Algorithms: Algorithmic Combinatorial Game Theory|eprint=cs/0106019v2|year=2001}}</ref>
-There exist several well-known tournaments for gomoku programs since 1989. The [[Computer Olympiad]] started with the gomoku game in 1989, but gomoku has not been in the list since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/game.php?id=30|title=Go-Moku (ICGA Tournaments)|website=game-ai-forum.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> The Renju World Computer Championship was started in 1991, and held for 4 times until 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.5stone.net/wc/worldcup_en.html|title=Renju Computer World Championship|website=5stone.net|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nosovsky.narod.ru/forth.html|title=4-th World Championship among Computer programs|website=Nosovsky Japanese Games Home Page|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> The [[Gomocup]] tournament has been held annually since 2000, with more than thirty participants from about ten countries taking part.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/home/|title=Gomocup - The Gomoku AI Tournament|website=Gomocup|access-date=2016-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604205643/http://gomocup.org/home/|archive-date=2016-06-04}}</ref> The Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Tournament was played twice in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|title=Hungarian Computer Gomoku Tournament 2005 {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|website=gomokuworld.com|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sze.hu/~gtakacs/tournament/index.html|title=2nd Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Open Tournament|website=sze.hu|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> There were also two Computer vs. Human tournaments played in the Czech Republic, in 2006 and 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/results/ai-human-2006|title=The 1st tournament AI vs. Human (November the 11th, 2006) {{!}} Gomocup|website=gomocup.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.piskvorky.cz/clanky/zajimavosti-ze-sveta-piskvorek-a-renju/ai-vs-clovek-2011-2/|title=AI vs. Člověk 2011 {{!}} Česká federace piškvorek a renju|website=piskvorky.cz|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> Not until 2017 did the computer programs prove capable of outperforming the world human champion in public competitions. In the Gomoku World Championship 2017, there was a match between the world champion program [[Yixin (software)|Yixin]] and the world champion human player Rudolf Dupszki. Yixin won the match with a score of 2–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aiexp.info/ai-vs-human-gomoku-2.html|title=Rudolf Dupszki versus Yixin|website=AIEXP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gomokuworld/rudolf-dupszki-vs-yixin-2017/857225044431377/|title=Rudolf Dupszki vs. Yixin 2017|website=Facebook}}</ref>
+There exist several well-known tournaments for gomoku programs since 1989. The [[Computer Olympiad]] started with the gomoku game in 1989, but gomoku has not been in the list since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/game.php?id=30|title=Go-Moku (ICGA Tournaments)|website=game-ai-forum.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> The Renju World Computer Championship was started in 1991, and held for 4 times until 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.5stone.net/wc/worldcup_en.html|title=Renju Computer World Championship|website=5stone.net|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nosovsky.narod.ru/forth.html|title=4-th World Championship among Computer programs|website=Nosovsky Japanese Games Home Page|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> The [[Gomocup]] tournament has been held annually since 2000, with more than thirty participants from about ten countries taking part.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/home/|title=Gomocup - The Gomoku AI Tournament|website=Gomocup|access-date=2016-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604205643/http://gomocup.org/home/|archive-date=2016-06-04}}</ref> The Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Tournament was played twice in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|title=Hungarian Computer Gomoku Tournament 2005 {{!}} GomokuWorld.com|website=gomokuworld.com|access-date=2016-06-02|archive-date=2017-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925133203/http://gomokuworld.com/articles/hungarian_computer_gomoku_tournament_2005|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sze.hu/~gtakacs/tournament/index.html|title=2nd Hungarian Computer Go-Moku Open Tournament|website=sze.hu|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> There were also two Computer vs. Human tournaments played in the Czech Republic, in 2006 and 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gomocup.org/results/ai-human-2006|title=The 1st tournament AI vs. Human (November the 11th, 2006) {{!}} Gomocup|website=gomocup.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.piskvorky.cz/clanky/zajimavosti-ze-sveta-piskvorek-a-renju/ai-vs-clovek-2011-2/|title=AI vs. Člověk 2011 {{!}} Česká federace piškvorek a renju|website=piskvorky.cz|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> Not until 2017 did the computer programs prove capable of outperforming the world human champion in public competitions. In the Gomoku World Championship 2017, there was a match between the world champion program [[Yixin (software)|Yixin]] and the world champion human player Rudolf Dupszki. Yixin won the match with a score of 2–0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aiexp.info/ai-vs-human-gomoku-2.html|title=Rudolf Dupszki versus Yixin|website=AIEXP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gomokuworld/rudolf-dupszki-vs-yixin-2017/857225044431377/|title=Rudolf Dupszki vs. Yixin 2017|website=Facebook}}</ref>
 == In popular culture ==
 Gomoku was featured in a 2018 Korean film by Baek Seung-Hwa starring Park Se-wan titled [[Omok Girl]]. The film follows Baduk Lee (Park Se-wan), a former go prodigy who retired after a humiliating loss on time. Years later, Baduk Lee works part time at a go club, where she meets Ahn Kyung Kim, who introduces her to an Omok (Korean gomoku) tournament. Lee is initially uninterested and considers Omok a children's game, but after her roommate loses money on an impulse purchase, she enters the tournament for the prize money and loses badly, being humiliated once again. Afterwards, she begins training to redeem herself and becomes a serious omok player.<ref>Seung-hwa, Baek, writer. ''Omok Girl''. Performance by Park Se-wan, SK Telecom, 2018.</ref>
-In the video game ''[[Vintage Story]]'', omok boards and pieces (made of gold and lead) can occasionally be found in ruins or as part of luxury traders' inventory. The board and pieces are functional, allowing players to have actual omok matches. In-universe, omok is so far the only game surviving from the times before the Rot.
+In the video game ''[[Vintage Story]]'', omok boards and pieces (made of gold, lead, and copper) can occasionally be found in ruins or as part of luxury traders' inventory. The board and pieces are functional, allowing players to have actual omok matches. In-universe, omok is so far the only game surviving from the times before the Rot.<ref>https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Omok, Vintage Story, Anego Studios, 2016</ref>
 ==See also==
-* [[Renju]]
-* [[Pente]]
-* [[Pegity]]
 * [[Connect6]]
 * [[Connection game]]
+* [[Pegity]]
+* [[Pente]]
+* [[Renju]]
 * [[Reversi]]
@@ Line 259: / Line 283: @@
 {{Tic-Tac-Toe}}
+[[Category:Gomoku| ]]
 [[Category:Abstract strategy games]]
 [[Category:Traditional board games]]

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