| Gomoku originated around the Hwang Ho delta 
              in China as early as 2000 BC. This spread to Japan in 7th century 
              BC where Gomoku became established as a game of excellence and Japan 
              the centre for this game. Gomoku's popularity is fuelled by being 
              playable on a Go (AKA: Wei-chi and Badu) board with Go counters, 
              so also became a popular quick alternative to the longer and harder 
              game of Go. |  |  |