          G O M O K U

Go-Moku is an oriental game of ancient origin, originally  played
by   placing  black  and  white  pieces,  (sometimes  called  "go
stones"), on a board ruled into squares by  19  vertical  and  19
horizontal  lines,  (sometimes called a "go board").  Unlike many
western games the plays are made  on  the  intersections  of  the
lines rather than in the squares formed by the lines.

The computer version is played on a "board" labeled with  letters
across  the  top and numbers down the side.  Moves are entered as
the letter and number of the desired spot.  For example, "j10" is
a play in the exact center of a 19x19 board.

The program will ask  what  size  board  you  want  to  play  on;
although  19 is the favorite size for "real" games it's often fun
to play on a smaller board, especially while  learning.   A  good
size  to  start  with is 9 or 10, (any size smaller than 5 is too
small for anyone to win).

The object of the game is to get 5, (and ONLY 5), plays in a row.
The five in a row can be vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
Players alternate making moves on the board  until  one  wins  or
there  is  a draw, (note that a stalemate is possible, especially
on small boards).

The "gomoku" program is a learning program; it learns how to play
by  analyzing its losses and watching out for them in the future.
Consequently, it will play rather badly for the first few  games,
knowing  only that it has lost when you get five in a row; but it
will be happy to lose to you since it can only  learn  by  making
mistakes, (much like people).

Anytime you wish to have the board redisplayed, (if for any  rea-
son it gets messed up), type "?" in place of your move.

You can quit at any time by typing "q" in place of your move.

In Summary
a1      A move in the top left corner of the board
5g      An illegal move (the letter comes first)
q       Quit playing
?       Redraw the board

Have fun...
