Tic-Tac-Toe

About the game

Tic-Tac-Toe is the classic three-in-a-row game, played in the browser in quick rounds against the computer. You play X and move first; the computer answers with O on the 3x3 board.

The opponent works through every possible continuation on each turn and plays perfectly, so it never loses: a draw is the best result within your reach, and the point is not to slip. When several replies are equally good it picks one at random, so games don't always play out the same way.

The game keeps a tally of wins, losses and draws in your browser, and restarting clears only the board, not the tally. If you want something with more pieces, try checkers or browse other board games.

How to play

1. You are X and you start: click any empty square on the board to mark it.
2. After your move, the computer thinks for a moment and plays O.
3. Make a line of three X horizontally, vertically or diagonally to win.
4. If all nine squares fill up without a line, the game ends in a draw.
5. Use the restart button to play another game; the tally keeps adding up.

Game modes

• 1 player. One player against the computer, which never loses. The tally accumulates wins, losses and draws, and the submitted score is the number of wins.

Tips

• Start in the center or a corner: those squares are part of the most lines.
• Before you play, check whether the computer already has two marks lined up with a free square; block that square.
• Against an opponent that doesn't slip, a draw is a good result. Pay attention to every move and never leave a two-mark line unblocked.

Frequently asked questions