In most games, going first is a small advantage. In gomoku it is a large one. Every move adds a mark to the board, and in a game where the goal is to build lines faster than your opponent can block them, being one mark ahead from the start matters a great deal.
This article explains why, how the rule set changes the size of the advantage, and how to approach the game from each side.
Why moving first matters so much
Think of gomoku as a race of threats. The player who creates a threat forces the other to answer; the player answering cannot build their own lines at the same time. The first player starts the race one step ahead. If they use that step well, they can keep making threats until one of them cannot be answered.
This is not just theory. Computer analysis in the 1990s showed that in freestyle gomoku on a 15×15 board, the first player can force a win with perfect play. Humans do not play perfectly, so real games are far more varied — but the advantage is real, and you will feel it.
That is why serious variants add restrictions. Renju forbids the first player certain combinations, and tournament gomoku often uses special opening procedures that let the second player choose sides after a few moves. Everyday play, including on this site, uses no such restrictions.
How the rule set changes things
Freestyle: the advantage is largest. Every five wins, so the attacker's lines are never permanently neutralised.
Blocked ends (Vietnamese caro): the advantage shrinks. The defender can kill a line forever by occupying both ends, which gives the second player a real resource. The first player is still favoured, but games are more balanced and more tactical. See freestyle vs blocked ends.
Playing first: how to use the advantage
As X, your goal is to keep the initiative — to keep making moves the opponent must answer, so they never get time to build their own threats.
Start in the centre. A central mark has room in every direction.
Build compact shapes. Place marks near each other, especially where two potential lines cross. A compact shape produces threats in several directions.
Do not rush to a four. A four forces one reply, but if that reply does not help you, you have spent your advantage for nothing. Build open threes and double-purpose points first.
Look for the combination. Once you have several twos and threes crossing, a single move may create a four-three or a double three. That is how first-player advantages turn into wins.
Playing second: how to survive and turn the tables
As O, you begin a step behind. Your aim in the opening is not to lose the race early while looking for a moment to seize the initiative.
Stay close. Place your early marks next to X's, not far away. A distant mark does nothing to slow X down.
Block with purpose. When you must block, choose the point that also builds one of your own lines. A block that is also a two for you is worth much more than a block that is only a block.
Watch the crossing points. X will try to build where two lines cross. If you can occupy a crossing point before X makes it dangerous, you remove a future double threat.
Counterattack with fours. Once you have a line of three, making a four forces X to answer — and that gives you a tempo. Many second-player wins come from a timely four that interrupts X's attack and then leads into a threat of O's own.
Use the blocked-ends rule. If you are playing caro rules, keep track of which of X's lines already touch your marks at one end. One more mark at the other end kills them permanently.
A sample opening from each side
It helps to see the difference in practice. Imagine X starts at h8 and O answers diagonally at i9. X now places a second mark at g8, next to the first. X has a two on row 8 with plenty of room, and O's single mark does not interfere with it.
As O, the natural reply is not to block the two directly — a two is not yet a threat — but to place a mark that stays close to X's shape and works with O's own mark. A point like h9, next to both O's i9 and above X's h8, does both: it forms a two for O on row 9 and sits right beside X's cluster, limiting its growth upward.
As X, you would then look for a move that extends your row while opening a second direction, such as h7, which makes a column two with h8 and keeps the row two intact. The pattern repeats throughout the opening: X builds compact double-purpose shape; O answers close by, building its own lines with each move.
When the second player takes over
The moment the initiative changes hands is often the turning point of a game. Typically it happens like this: X makes a threat, O blocks, and O's block happens to create an open three of O's own. Now X must answer, and suddenly O is the one making threats.
Good second players plan for this moment. Every time they block, they ask: can this block also be a threat? If the answer is yes, that block is nearly always the right one. Read keeping the initiative for a deeper look at how tempo moves back and forth.
Practising both sides
Against the computer on the home board:
- Play as X most of the time while you learn. Winning teaches you what a successful attack looks like.
- Once a week, play a few games as O. They will feel harder, and that is the point: you will learn to defend accurately and to recognise counterattacking chances.
In online games, you may get either side. It helps to have a simple plan for each: as X, build compact and look for combinations; as O, block with purpose and wait for your tempo.
A note on fairness
Because of the first-player advantage, fair series between people usually alternate who moves first. If you play a friend several times, take turns. When you play the same opponent again online, a rematch usually swaps sides for the same reason.
Frequently asked questions
Is gomoku unfair to the second player?
In freestyle with perfect play, the first player can force a win. Human games are much more balanced, and rules like blocked ends reduce the advantage further.
Should beginners play first or second?
First, while learning. Play second occasionally to practise defence.
What is the best first move?
The centre, h8. It gives your mark the most room in every direction.
How can the second player win?
By blocking accurately, building lines with each block, and using a well-timed four to take over the initiative.
