The board is 15 by 15 lines, which gives 225 intersections. Columns run A to O, rows run 1 to 15, and stones are placed on the intersections.
The board is a 15 by 15 grid of lines. Stones go on the 225 points where lines cross, not inside the squares. Columns are lettered A to O and rows are numbered 1 to 15, so A1 is one corner and O15 is the opposite corner.
The centre and the edges
The centre point is H8. Most players open there, because a stone in the middle can form a line in all four directions with room to grow. A stone on an edge or in a corner has far fewer possible lines of five, which makes it weak.
- Total intersections: 225.
- Possible lines of five along one row: 11 per row, and 11 per column.
A game can use the whole board, but a typical game is decided in a small area around the centre. If every point does fill up, the game is a draw. For the move order, see who goes first, and for where to play, read the strategy guide.