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Renju is a development of the earlier 5-in-a-row game of Gomoku. Renju is a professional variant of the game, invented in 1899, which uses more sophisticated rules. In renju the black player is not allowed to make double-threes, double-fours, or more than five in a row. Renju also uses sophisticated opening rules.
The Renju International Federation was founded in 1988, and it organises world championships and other international competitions.
As well as Gomoku, related games include Ninuki Renju and the proprietary game Pente. These variants include rules for capturing pieces. Another proprietary game, Boku is a similar game played on a hexagonal grid, with a different capturing rule which works very well.