Ninuki-Renju

How to play

The Japanese five-in-a-row (連珠) with a bite. Place stones on a 13×13 board to make a line of five — but any pair of your stones flanked on both ends by the opponent is lifted straight off the board. You play the dark stones and move first.

Rules

  • Tap an empty intersection to place a dark stone there.
  • Make an unbroken line of five of your stones — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal — to win.
  • If you flank a pair of AI stones on both ends of a line, that pair is captured off the board.
  • Capturing five pairs also wins the game, even without five in a row.

Tips

Captures cut both ways — never leave exactly two of your stones in a line with an AI stone on one end and an empty point on the other, or the AI will lift them. Use the threat of capture to break up the AI's rows before they reach five.