Capture Five: Rules and How to Play
Capture Five is a board game for 2 to 4 players that takes about 15 minutes. Line up five stones, or capture five pairs (10 stones) of your opponent's, to win. Free. In-browser. No account.
Setup
- Two to four players. Alone, you can play the CPU.
- You play on a 15×15 board, or 19×19 as a local rule.
- Stones are black, white, blue and red in turn order. The first seat starts; if you keep playing, the start passes to the next player each game.
- With four players you can play solo or in teams: partners sit across from each other (1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th in turn order). Teams use two colours, a black team and a white team.
How to play
- On your turn, place one stone on an empty crossing. Stones never move.
- If the stone you place and another of yours flank two adjacent enemy stones from both ends, you capture those two. All eight directions count.
- Flank in two or more directions at once and you take them all. With 3 or 4 players, a pair mixing two different opponents can be captured too.
- Moving into a flanked spot yourself is safe: only the player who places a stone captures.
- In the team game your partner's stones are your colour, so they can never be captured by your side.
Winning and scoring
- Two players and four-player teams: line up five of your stones up, across or diagonally, or capture five pairs (10 stones). A team counts both partners' captures.
- Three players, or four playing solo: line up four, or capture four pairs (8 stones).
- By default only exactly five (exactly four in the smaller game) wins. A local rule lets longer lines win too.
- If the board fills and nobody has won, the game is a draw.
- Local rules add overtime captures, moving into a flank, mixed-colour captures and opening rules. If two or more players meet a winning condition at once, they all win (a draw if everyone does).
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–4 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board size | Choose 9×9, 13×13, 15×15 or 19×19. Smaller boards finish faster. | 15×15 | Yes |
| Game type (4 players) | Applies with four players only. In teams, partners sit across from each other (1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th). Five in a row, or 10 stones captured between you, wins. | Solo | Yes |
| Longer lines win | Lines longer than five (four in the 3–4 player solo game) also win. When off, only exactly five (four) wins. | Off | Yes |
| Forced capture | When you flank stones you must take them. When off, you choose which stones to take — or none — as you place. | On | Yes |
| Capture threes | Three enemy stones in a row can be taken too if you flank both ends. When off, only pairs. | Off | Yes |
| Moving into a flank | What happens when you place a stone between enemy stones so that it is flanked. “Captured”: the flanking player takes it (capture-three and mixed-colour rules apply too). “Not allowed”: you may not place there, even if the move would capture. | Nothing | Yes |
| Mixed-colour captures | Applies with three or more players. When on, a pair (or three) mixing different opponents can be captured. When off, only stones of one colour. | On | Yes |
| Overtime captureOvertime captureBecause captures can break a line of five in this game, this decides whether the next player gets a chance to do so. With “None”, five in a row wins at once, which is simple and quick. With the other two, a line the next player can capture does not win straight away, so you must build lines that cannot be taken, and comebacks happen more often. | If a line wins but the next player could stop it by capturing, the win waits for the next player’s move. “Break the line”: a capture that breaks the line stops the win. “Take the whole line”: when one end of the line is the next player’s stone and the other end is open, playing at the open end takes the whole line. No overtime after a capture win, with two or more lines, or when two or more players win at once. | None | Yes |
| Forbidden move (double three)Forbidden move (double three)A three is a line that becomes an open four (a four that makes five at either end) with one more stone. A double three creates two threes at once; the opponent can block only one, so it is very strong. “First player” trims the first player's advantage; “Both” restrains both sides' attacks and makes a more defensive game. | Applies to two players and teams only. A double three cannot be played; a move that makes five, or blocks the opponent's five, still can. | None | Yes |
| Opening ruleOpening ruleWith two players the first player has a big advantage, and these rules reduce it. “From the centre” and “Centre, far” keep the first player's second stone away from the centre, making an early attack harder. In “Place four, choose” and “Place three, choose” the other player picks a colour after seeing the stones, so the placer aims for a position that is even for either side. | Two players only. “From the centre”: the first player’s first stone goes in the centre and the second at least 3 points away (4 for “Centre, far”). “Place four, choose”: the first player places two black and two white stones and the second player picks a colour. “Place three, choose”: the first player places two black and one white; the second player picks black or white, or adds one of each and lets the first player choose. | None | Yes |
| Pass the start | Pass the first move to the next player after each game. | On | Yes |
| Show coordinates | Show coordinates on the edge of the board (letters across the top, numbers down the side). The rules do not change. | Off | Yes |
Terms
- Capture
- Flanking two adjacent enemy stones from both ends with your own and taking them off the board.
- Five
- Five stones of one colour in a line. Three players or four solo need four.
- Double three
- A move that makes two live threes at once. A local rule can forbid it (two players and teams only).
- Breakable five
- A five the next player can break by capturing from it. By default it wins at once (see the overtime capture rule).
FAQ
How do I capture?
In any direction, flank two adjacent enemy stones between the stone you place and another of yours. One move can capture in several directions at once.
If I move between two enemy stones, am I captured?
No. Only the player who places a stone captures.
Does six in a row win?
Not by default — only exactly five. Turn on “Longer lines win” to count six or more.
Is the double three forbidden?
Not by default. Choose “First player” or “Both” in the local rules and a double three cannot be played (two players and teams only).
What is an overtime capture?
When a line wins but the next player could stop it by capturing, the win waits for the next player’s move. Choose “Break the line” or “Take the whole line”. By default there is none, and the line wins at once.
Can I capture my partner's stones in teams?
No. Partners share a colour, so their stones are never flanked by your side.
Is there an opening rule?
Not by default. With two players you can choose “From the centre”, “Centre, far”, “Place four, choose” or “Place three, choose” in the local rules.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-23 · Run by Qdan, Inc.