Back in 2001 we needed a new game server in order to keep up with the level of activity the Pente Net website was enjoying. Twenty-four players chipped in money to help purchase a new server. These players were awarded glass or gold stones depending on the amount of money they donated. Give these players your thanks—their timely support helped resurrect Pente Net and keep it a free gaming site!

The Pente Net system discourages this poor-sport type of behavior in two ways. First, a player who recognizes imminent defeat can click a “SURRENDER” button instead of having to play the game out to its bitter end. Second, if a player has any games that have kept an opponent waiting for 10 days or more, they are “locked out” of their other games and prohibited from starting a new game until they have first moved in the overdue games.

Pente Net welcomes players who can play every day as well as players who only have occasional access to the Internet. For this reason, no time limits are imposed on games.

Challenge other players to new games, particularly those whose names appear on the Active Players list on the “Start a new game” page. There are many players at Pente Net who check their games regularly, so finding “faster” opponents shouldn't be hard.

An overdue games is any that has kept your opponent waiting for 10 or more days. You must make your move in all overdue games (or surrender them), before you can access your other games.

In the real world version of Pente, you can “try out” a move by putting your stone down and keeping your finger on the stone. If you like the move, you commit to it by lifting your finger. If you decide on another spot instead, you can still pick up your stone and move it, so long as your finger has't lost contact with the stone. It is the same on this site when you use Move Confirmation.

Also in the board game version of Pente, you do not pick up captured stones until after you have committed to your move. In other words, you cannot place a tentative move, pick up the theoretically threatened stones, and then see how the board would appear. You must visualize the results of your capture. We are keeping with that traditional rule here.

Learning to visualize the effects of your moves is essential to improving as a Pente player. While showing a preview of the captures might make it easier to win more games, that feature could easily become a crutch. We prefer that players practice visualizing for themselves, and become more skillful as a result.

Your opponent is probably not online. Give it some time and check back later. Also, you can turn on “Automatic move notification” under your “Account” tab, and you will get an email notice when it is your turn to move.

Chances are, that message is an old email that was sent before you logged in to Pente Net and made moves in your games.

Open up the game that is over by clicking the “SEE” button to its left. You'll see the final results, how the game ended, and a button at the bottom of the screen that reads “Continue...” Click that button to confirm that you've seen the finished game, and the system will remove it from your list of current games. (The system is set up this way so you can see how a game ended before the game disappears.)

You can cancel any new game before your opponent accepts the challenge. Go to your “Current Games” list and find the new game. There will be a light yellow highlight around the “LAST MOVE” time. Put a check in the box to the right of this game (in the “CANCEL” column), and then click the “CANCEL” button at the top of your Current Games list. The game will be removed without affecting your score.

Check your “Player name visibility” setting under the “Account” tab. You want the “Invisible” setting. If you choose the “High Scores list only” setting, you might occasionally receive challenges from players who see your name there.

No, you will never be penalized for declining challenges.

This can happen if the server's clock was reset or adjusted. The time of the next move should show up normally.

Not at the present time. If you would like to see this feature added, cast a vote for it in the Pente Net Forum (found under the “Extra” tab when you are signed in).

Not yet. Want this feature added? Vote for it in the Pente Net Forum (found under the “Extra” tab when you are signed in).

Currently, only the two players involved in a game can see that game. However, you can take a screenshot of the game and share that.

I originally made Pente Net to keep track of games between my long-distance friends, and we all made moves at different times. Real-time playing wasn't something we could do because of our schedules. When it was just my friends and me playing, such a system was fine. Now that there are lots of Pente players on this website, real-time gaming has become an item of interest. As the most requested feature on this website, we're bound to add it. In the meantime, using the “REFRESH” button after you've moved, will show you if your opponent has moved.

Yes! The scoring section of Pente Net definitely needs improvement. There's a discussion of this in the Pente Net Forum. Please add your thoughts and suggestions there.