HOW TO WIN TIC TAC TOE: RULES AND NEVER-LOSE STRATEGY
Tic tac toe is simple, but there is a real strategy to it. Learn the openings, the fork, and the rules that mean you never lose again.
The rules in ten seconds
Two players take turns marking X or O on a 3x3 grid. First to get three in a row (across, down or diagonal) wins. Fill the grid with no line and it is a draw.
The best first move
Take the centre. It sits on four winning lines (both diagonals, middle row, middle column), more than any other square. If the centre is taken, take a corner: corners sit on three lines. Edges, on two lines, are the weakest squares on the board.
The fork: how games are actually won
Against a player who blocks properly, one threat is never enough. Games are won with a fork: a move that creates two winning threats at once, so your opponent can only block one. Building toward forks, and spotting your opponent's, is the whole strategy of the game.
The never-lose checklist
On every turn, check these in order:
- Can I win right now? Complete the line.
- Can my opponent win next turn? Block it.
- Can I create a fork? Do it.
- Can my opponent create a fork? Block the fork square, or force them to respond elsewhere by making a threat of your own.
- Otherwise: centre, then a corner opposite your opponent, then any corner, then an edge.
Follow that checklist perfectly and you will never lose: the worst possible result is a draw. Two perfect players always draw, which is exactly why beating a human who blinks first is so satisfying.
Test it on a real person
Play tic tac toe online free and try the checklist against real opponents, or challenge a friend directly and see who cracks first.