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Game programing

Board evaluation and Heuristics

Pente was created in 1978 by Gary Gabrel from Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. Pente is close to Japanese game of ninuki-renju.
  1. There are two ways to win the game:
    • Win by getting five-(or more)-in-a-row, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, with no empty points between the stones, or
    • Win by capturing five (or more) pairs of your opponents stones.
  2. Playing begins in the center of the board
  3. Whenever your opponent has two stones (and only two) which are adjacent, those stones are vulnerable to capture. The pair can be captured by bracketing its two ends with your own stones.
    *
    By placing stone in *, captures a pair of opponent's stones.
  4. A stone may legally be played onto any empty intersection, even if that point has been previously occupied, and even if forms a pair between two enemy stones. No capture is made by the enemy in that case.
  5. Multiple captures are legal.
  6. Pente-board has 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines like the Go-board.

    7. This is official rule. Using our software you can play Pente in board with other sizes.
  7. White starts the game which differs from Renju and Go.

Tournament rule

The player moving first has a distinct advantage. The tournament rule decrease deferences between black and white.
The tournament rule was created by Tom Braunlich.
The tournament rule: the 3rd move Black must make outside the zone of 5x5 intersections with the same center as the center of the whole board.

The 5x5 zone is a prohibited zone.

G-Pente

G-Pente is a variation of Pente proposed by Gary Barnes.
The tournament rule + it additionally prohibits for 3rd move playing on the 4th and 5th intersections away from the center of the board that are on the same horizontal or vertical line.
The reason for the variation is to make the game more fair for second player

Pente Formations

Tessera or four-in-a-row

This is a deadly theat.

Tria

This is a threat that if left unblocked become tessera or four-in-a-row

Split 3

The split 3 can form four-in-a-row. but opponent may start a counterthreat.

Dread X

The Dread X leads to victory

Formations that create attack

Triangle L Skew T
Slant V Wing Obtuse

Software

You can use software of Setup Group to play Pente on your
Mac
Windows Device
Google
Mobile