Every renju game starts the same way: black's first move is fixed at the center — the one point every line of the board passes through. White's second move has two forms only: DIRECT, orthogonally touching the first stone, or INDIRECT, diagonally touching it; everything else is illegal in serious play. The families feel different from move one — direct openings fight for rows and columns, close contact from the start; indirect openings lean on diagonals and give both sides more air. Try the direct form yourself: black sits on the center, you are white — place a direct second move, horizontally or vertically touching.
Play a direct second move.
Finish this step to move on.