Tic Tac Toe: how to play, rules and winning tips
The rules of Tic Tac Toe take a minute to learn. Winning, or at least never losing, takes a little planning, some blocking and an eye on your opponent's next move.
The board and the marks
Tic Tac Toe is a game for two players on a grid of nine squares, three rows by three columns. One player marks squares with X and the other with O. On paper you draw the grid with a pencil. Online, you tap a square and your mark appears.
The squares come in three kinds, and it helps to know them before you play. The centre square sits in the middle. The four corners sit at the ends of the outer rows. The four edge squares sit between the corners.
Taking turns
X always moves first. On PlayFaceToFace the player in the first seat is X and the other player is O. After that the two players alternate, one mark per turn.
- Pick an empty square You can place your mark on any square that is still empty.
- Place one mark Each turn is a single mark. You can't skip a turn, and a mark never moves or comes off the board.
- Pass the turn Your opponent then places their mark, and play goes back and forth until someone wins or the grid is full.
A square that already holds an X or an O is taken for the rest of the game. Online, the board won't accept a mark there or a move out of turn.
How to win
The first player to get three of their own marks in a line wins. The line can run across a row, down a column, or corner to corner along either diagonal. That makes eight possible winning lines on the board.
- Three rows: top, middle and bottom.
- Three columns: left, middle and right.
- Two diagonals, each running through the centre.
The game ends the moment a line is complete, even if empty squares are left.
When the game is a draw
If all nine squares fill up and nobody has three in a line, the game is a draw, often called a tie or a cat's game. X makes five of those nine marks and O makes four.
Draws are common between players who know the game. If neither side makes a mistake, every game ends in a draw. So the real contest is about spotting your opponent's slip before they spot yours.
Basic strategy
Tic Tac Toe is about control. Before every move, run through the same short checklist in this order:
- If you can complete a line this turn, do it.
- If your opponent has two in a line with the third square empty, block that square.
- If the centre is free, the centre is usually the strongest square.
- Otherwise prefer a corner to an edge.
The centre is part of four winning lines: its row, its column and both diagonals. Each corner is part of three, and each edge square only two. More lines means more ways to threaten and more of your opponent's lines blocked.
Forks and thinking a move ahead
Most wins between careful players come from a fork, a single move that makes two lines of two at once. Your opponent can block only one of them, so you complete the other on your next turn.
Forks are built a move or two in advance, usually with corners. Before you place a mark, ask which squares would give you two threats next turn. Then ask the same question from your opponent's side, and take or block that square first.
Opening moves for X and O
As X, start in the centre or a corner. A corner opening sets the most traps. If O answers anywhere except the centre, X can force a win with correct play.
As O, your first job is not to lose. Against a corner opening, take the centre. Against a centre opening, take a corner, because an edge reply lets X build a fork. After that, keep blocking and watch for X's two-way threats.
A good first strategy game
The rules fit in a few sentences, yet every game asks the same questions as bigger turn-based games. What does my move threaten? What is my opponent about to do? Which square matters most right now? Planning, blocking and reading the other player all show up here first, which makes Tic Tac Toe a natural warm-up before checkers, reversi or chess.
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Tic Tac Toe
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