Gomoku (Five in a Row) game
One of the oldest board games is gomoku, invented in the East about 2000 years ago. To play it, a 15 × 15 cell field (in the modern sports version) or 19 × 19 (in the traditional version) is used.
Unlike checkers and chess, all the cells on the board are the same (white) color, and the stones can line up horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
Today, gomoku is widespread not only in eastern countries, but throughout the world. It is played for fun, spending pleasant free time, and also participate in various competitions, including international ones.
History of the game
Authorship of the Gomoku board game belongs to the Chinese, who played it as early as the 1st century AD. Then it was called differently, and the playing field was 19 × 19. It was reduced to 15×15 format much later, when it was included in the list of international games. Around the 7th century, the game spread to Japan, where some changes and additions were made to it. There she got her modern name.
So, "gomokunarabe" is translated from Japanese as "five stones in a row." The original Chinese name of the game was lost, but in 1899 a new one appeared - "renju", which translates as "string of pearls". It was proposed by Tenryu Kobayashi, an expert in Chinese poetry. Thus, gomoku and renju are essentially the same game.
The game rules have not changed for many centuries, but with the development of mathematics, the main drawback of gomoku became more and more obvious. Since every move can be decisive in the game, the indisputable advantage always remains on the side of the player with black stones, who moves first. This was mathematically proven in 1994 by Victor Allis, but professional players knew about it in the 19th century, which led to a change in the game rules. Then the playing field was reduced from 19 × 19 to 15 × 15 lines, and for black stones (moving first), restrictions were introduced - “fouls”. According to the updated rules proposed by Rokusan Takaki in 1903, 3x3 and 4x4 forks, as well as long rows, cannot be stacked from black stones. This roughly equalizes the chances for white and black stones, and deprives the former of an obvious strategic advantage.
In the 80s of the XX century, the modernization of gomoku continued, and a new version of the game was proposed without fouls (restrictions for black stones), but with the central square on the playing field blocked. This version was called "pro-gomoku" or "free renju". And in international competitions they began to practice the exchange of pieces: now, after the third move, each player has the right to change colors with an opponent and thereby eliminate the advantage of the first move.
Digital versions
In 2003, Professor Wu Yicheng of National Jiaotong University adapted gomoku for the computer and introduced new rules, resulting in a game called Connect6.
In it, players move not one, but two stones at a time, with the exception of the very first move, which is made with one black stone. This version is currently considered the fairest - even without the use of fouls and exchanging pieces, and practically equalizes the chances of the players. At least 20 years after the creation of Connect6, it has not been proven that the player making the first move has any tactical or strategic advantage over the opponent.
Since 2000, the digital version of Renju has been included in the international Gomocup competitions, and currently has more than 50 versions. Despite the apparent simplicity of gomoku, it was only in 2010 that a computer could beat a person in it, and before that, professional players almost always won. Starting from the mid-2000s, renju tournaments began to be organized in European countries. So, in 2005 it was held in Hungary, in 2006, 2011 and 2017 - in the Czech Republic. The last tournament was marked by the fact that the program won an unconditional victory over the participants and made further human attempts to defeat the computer in this logic game meaningless.
Interesting facts
- International gomoku tournaments are held in conjunction with renju competitions. The 1989 and 1991 world championships were won by athletes from the USSR Sergei Chernov and Yuri Tarannikov.
- Renju as a sport appeared not so long ago. The International Renju Federation (RIF) was founded in Sweden in 1988. The best results in the game are shown by athletes from Japan, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, China.
- Renju means "string of pearls" in Japanese. Aristocrats at the imperial court placed black and white pearls on the playing field. The name was proposed in 1899 by Goraku Takayama.
Gomoku is a game for intellectuals who can build strategies, see both the details and the big picture of the game at the same time. Try your hand, we believe in you!
