Five-In-A-Row


2021 | MDF, pine wood, Go stones, instruction |15.5×15.5×5 inches (W×L×D)





Five-In-A-Row is a modified strategy board game based on the original Five In a Row, also called Gomoku or Go. In the original game, players alternate turns placing a stone of their color(black and white) on an empty intersection on a Go board, and the first player to form an unbroken chain of five stones (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins. In contrast, my game no longer distinguishes the color between two players’ stones while the original victory condition persists. New rules encourage separation at the early stage of the game because going straight towards 5 stones in a row risks losing when reaching the 3 stones. Under the competitive framework, a tacit agreement between rivals is formed, in which the safest strategy to win the game will be to put stones spatially separate from others and find ways to form a chain when there is no more space for separation. The Go board is a metaphor for our society under the COVID-19 pandemic and stones represent individuals who have been isolated and seeking to reconnect with each other.

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