Tic-Tac-Toe
Get three in a row before the computer does. You play X and always go first.
Tap an empty square to place your X.
How to play
The board has nine squares. You are X and the computer is O. Take turns placing your mark. The first player to get three marks in a row, across, down or diagonally, wins. If all nine squares fill up with no winner, the game is a draw.
Strategy for a perfect game
- Take the center or a corner first. They are part of the most possible lines.
- Always block. If the computer has two in a row, block the third square immediately.
- Make a fork. The best attack is a move that creates two ways to win at once. Your opponent can block only one.
- Watch the corners. If your opponent takes opposite corners, answer with an edge square, not another corner.
Why the hard mode is hard
Tic-tac-toe is a solved game: if both players play perfectly, every game ends in a draw. Our hard mode looks ahead at every possible move, so it is very difficult to beat. It does make an occasional human-like slip, so keep trying. The easy mode plays at random and is great for children learning the game.
A very old game
Games of three in a row are thousands of years old and have been played on boards scratched into stone and drawn in sand. Tic-tac-toe is often one of the first strategy games a child learns, and it is a lovely way to teach thinking one move ahead.