If you play Tic-Tac-Toe the correct way, you can't lose. If your opponent also knows what they are doing, you can't win at Tic-Tac-Toe. So, if both players are playing with an optimal strategy, you will always end in a tie. But, very few people actually know Tic-Tac-Toe stategy. Before getting started, Click Here to open our Tic-Tac-Toe board in a new browser window so that you can practice while you read this page.
Most Tic-Tac-Toe players start off as novices and make random moves, or as reactionary players who block their opponents three in a row, or take any three in a row that they can. But, an experienced player knows the best starting moves. In almost all other cases, the player that goes first wins far more than the player who goes second.
A computer is not able to be beaten because it calculates all the possible moves ahead of time, so it never makes a mistake. A human can beat another human though, by using the odds to their advantage and then capitalizing on the other player's mistakes. |
|
 |
So, here is the trick to winning: Always go first, and start by playing one of the 4 corners or the center square. If the other player goes first and chooses one of the corners, choose the center square. If they choose the center square, choose one of the corners. After that, do whatever you think is best to win.
An interesting side note is that if you play a normal game of tic-tac-toe with someone else and let him/her go first, there is almost a 100% probablility that he or she will start by drawing an X instead of an O.
Click here to test your skills (play Tic Tac Toe)
Footnote: Much of the information on this page is based on work done by Stephen Ostermiller at http://www.ostermiller.org |
|
