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Tic Tac Toe: the complete wiki

Tic Tac Toe (also called noughts and crosses) is the simplest board game there is: two players, a 3×3 board, and the first to get three marks in a row wins. On Vexply it’s free against the computer, with three difficulty levels, or for two players on the same device.

Play Tic Tac Toe

How to play

Controls

Mark
Click or tap the square
Keyboard
Keys 1 to 9, or arrows and Enter

Modes and options

Vs AI
Easy, Medium or Hard. On Hard the computer plays perfectly: a draw is the best you can get.
2 players
Two people on the same device, taking turns.
Matches
A single game or best of 3 or 5.

Modes with their own page

Rules

  • One player is X and the other is O, and each marks one square per turn.
  • The first to complete a line of three wins: across, down or diagonally.
  • If all nine squares fill up with no line, it’s a draw.
  • In best-of-3 and best-of-5 matches, the first move alternates.

Strategy

With perfect play from both sides Tic Tac Toe always ends in a draw, which is why the Hard AI never loses. Against Easy and Medium, the way to win is a fork: take two opposite corners (or a corner and the center) so one move leaves you with two open lines.

Tips

  • If you move first, a corner is the strongest opening: it gives your opponent more ways to go wrong.
  • If your opponent opens in a corner, answer in the center.
  • Before each move, check whether anyone has two in a row: win first, then block.
  • Look for a “fork”: a move that sets up two lines at once can’t be blocked.

Common mistakes

  • Attacking without looking: before every move, check whether your opponent has two in a row. Win first, block second, build third.
  • Answering a corner with another corner or an edge. Against a corner, the safe reply is the centre.
  • Expecting to beat the AI on Hard: it plays perfectly, so the best you can get is a draw.
  • Always blocking the nearest threat without seeing the fork coming: two lines at once can’t both be blocked.

Mechanics

The tags that describe Tic Tac Toe. Those with a page lead to similar games.

Glossary

Fork (double attack)
One move that threatens two things at once, so the opponent can only save one. In chess the knight is the specialist; in Tic Tac Toe it means setting up two lines of two at the same time.
Draw
A game nobody wins. In chess it comes from stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, insufficient material or agreement; in Tic Tac Toe, when the board fills with no line; in checkers, after 40 moves each without a capture or a man moving, or by threefold repetition.
Best of 3 / best of 5
A series between two players that ends when one wins the majority: two wins out of three or three out of five. On Vexply you play it from Party, with one game or several.

See the full glossary

FAQ

Can you beat the Hard AI?
No: it plays perfectly. A draw is the best result, and there’s an achievement for it.
Can two people play?
Yes, on the same phone or computer, by choosing “2 players” in Options.
Who goes first in a match?
It alternates game by game, so nobody always gets the first-move advantage.
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