redfrog: That would be pretty sweet! I'm a bit disappointed though - same number of people want to see you as want to see me! And here I thought they'd have taste...
shagglbrox: Found this too, at the Renju Federation site, discussing Renju variations:
http://renju.nu/r1rulhis2.htm
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G. White starts the game (which differs from Renju and Go)
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Also found a proposal from 1987 for International Pente rules that specified White goes first, but there really is no official body that I can tell.
Thad: Closest I can find is wikipedia, which says white goes first. Don't think wikipedia is official though. The original Pente game shipped with 4 different colors.
Found a few links on Go-moku and Go, which all have Black going first in those games.
I don't think there's an official rule for Pente. I'd say follow Go, Black first.
ClayNashvilleTn: Google found: Pente Strategy Book by Tom Braunlich
Don't know anything about it. www.playpente.com has a good introductory strategy section.
And, check out the Plente o' Pente fellowship - it's dedicated to Pente strategy and discussion. We've got an open game going on right now, with detailed move discussion on the board, and an unrated "talking" tourney where we discuss our moves and strategy with our opponents.