Tournament Practice Mode
Russia has one of the world's strongest Renju traditions. Practice with Russian championship rules: 15×15 board with Black forbidden moves (三三, 四四, 長連).
The Чемпионат России по рэндзю (Russian Renju Championship) is the premier national Renju competition in Russia, organized by the Russian Renju Federation. Below are the core rules used in the championship, which this practice board enforces automatically.
Played on a 15×15 grid. One player uses black stones, the other white stones. Black always moves first.
The first player to form an unbroken line of five stones horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins. White may also win with five or more (overline allowed for White). Black must form exactly five — six or more is a forbidden move.
To balance Black's first-move advantage, Black is forbidden from creating three patterns. If Black plays a forbidden move, Black loses immediately:
Black can only win by a 四三 (Four-Three) — one four and one three from the same move.
If the entire board fills up without either player forming five in a row, the game is a draw.
Note on opening rules: Russian Renju follows RIF standard rules. Russia was one of the three founding members of RIF (alongside Japan and Sweden) in 1988. Russian players have won multiple world championship titles under the RIF system. The core competitive rules above — 15×15 board and Black forbidden moves — apply across all championship groups and are what this practice board enforces.
The Чемпионат России по рэндзю (Russian Renju Championship) is Russia's premier national Renju competition, held annually by the Russian Renju Federation. Russia's Renju tradition dates back to the Soviet era, and the USSR was one of the three founding members of the RIF (Renju International Federation) in 1988, alongside Japan and Sweden.
Russian players have dominated international Renju for decades. World champions from Russia include Alexander Chingin, Konstantin Chernetsov, and Pavel Salnikov, each of whom has won multiple world championship titles. Russia continues to host its national championship annually as a key selection event for the Russian national team ahead of World Renju Championships.
The forbidden-move (禁手) rules are the defining feature of competitive Renju in Russia. Because Gomoku is a solved game where Black (first player) can force a win with perfect play, the 禁手 rules are essential for fair competition. They force Black to play more carefully and strategically, making the game balanced and interesting at the highest level.
Black has three types of forbidden moves: 三三禁手 (double three) — creating two or more live threes in one move; 四四禁手 (double four) — creating two or more fours in one move; and 長連禁手 (overline) — forming six or more consecutive stones. If Black makes any of these moves, Black loses the game.
No. White has no forbidden moves. White can win with five, six, or more consecutive stones. The restrictions apply only to Black to compensate for the first-move advantage.
Yes. The USSR (represented by Russian Renju players) was one of the three founding members of the Renju International Federation (RIF) in 1988, alongside Japan and Sweden. Russia has remained a leading Renju nation ever since.
Notable Russian world champions include Alexander Chingin, Konstantin Chernetsov, and Pavel Salnikov. Each has won multiple world championship titles, cementing Russia's place as one of the strongest Renju nations in the world.
Russian Renju follows the RIF standard, sharing the same core forbidden-move system (三三, 四四, 長連) as Japanese Renju. Both are designed to balance Black's first-move advantage. The main differences are in the opening rules — Russian championship games typically use the RIF Swap2 opening system. On this practice board, the rule set is labeled "禁手 (Renju Rules)" and enforces the standard forbidden moves.