Gomoku goes by many names, and wuziqi — the Chinese one, literally “five-piece chess” — is the name this version answers to. The game itself takes a single sentence to teach: two sides take turns placing stones on a grid, and the first to connect five in an unbroken line, in any direction, wins.

That simplicity is the whole draw. Every stone does double duty, extending your own line while cutting off your opponent’s, and matches routinely swing on one overlooked diagonal. If you enjoy chess-adjacent strategy with a fraction of the rulebook, wuziqi is a fine way to spend a quiet stretch of thinking time.