renju; variant of gobang
A board game similar to gomoku (五目並べ) but with additional rules and restrictions for the first player. Often translated as 'renju' in English contexts.
See also: 五目並べ
Renju is a type of gomoku where Black has forbidden moves.
He won the national renju tournament.
Standard kanji spelling for the game.
Rarely used kanji form; 聯 is an older variant of 連.
From 連 (ren, 'link') and 珠 (ju, 'gem' or 'bead'), referring to the linked stones on the board. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the name likely reflects the visual pattern of connected pieces.