"Pro" variant at least partially balances the advantage of starting player (white, crosses) by applying several restrictions to the initial moves, similar to Pente:
The first move of white is automatically performed in the centre of the board.
In the second move, white must place his/her piece at least three squares away from the centre square - at any empty square outside the red square:
There are no restrictions for black's moves (circles).
All other rules are the same as in standard Five in Line (except one detail, see the next point).
Important: A player must place exactly five pieces in a solid line to win! Making a row of six, seven or more pieces does not finish a game.