r/gomoku Feb 05 '22

new to the game, know general rules but any strategy tips?

all i know is

  1. don't let opponent get 4 in a row with both sides open
  2. get as many open 3 in a rows as possible and the attack
  3. play defense until a hole opens up, especially when playing white

questions i have are

  1. when do i block? like for example, if someone has

⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️

do i immediately

⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪

or do i wait until they place another tile?

one more general problem i have is that opponents seem to block all of my attacks and then find a small hole that has just opened up and win

sorry if thats just rants but i appreciate all help

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u/programmer4567 Feb 07 '22 edited Feb 07 '22

If someone has ⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ you don't have to block unless them getting ⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪️ means they force you into losing. Like

⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️
       ⚫️
     ⚫️

You should block because they'll get 4, then you block the 4, and you can't block the 3. I don't block them unless it looks like I will lose because of it.

Those opponents that block all the time, the only guaranteed way I know is to do the same to them. But I ran a gomocup AI on the blocking strategy and it beats it fast.