Tic-Tac-Toe Rules

You probably already know how to play Tic-Tac-Toe. It's a really simple game, right? That's what most people think. But if you really wrap your brain around it, you'll discover that Tic-Tac-Toe isn't quite as simple as you think!

Tic-Tac-Toe (along with a lot of other games) involves looking ahead and trying to figure out what the person playing against you might do next.

Rules:

You play on a three by three game board.
X always goes first.
The first player is known as X and the second is O.
Players take turns putting their marks in empty squares.
The first player to get 3 of her marks in a row (up, down, across, or diagonally) is the winner.
When all 9 squares are full, the game is over. If no player has 3 marks in a row, the game ends in a tie. The Tie game is referred to as a Cat game.
At the end of the game players will switch what marker they are. X will become O and O will become X.

How to Win:

To beat the other player (or at least tie), you need to make use of a little bit of strategy. Strategy means figuring out what you need to do to win.

Part of your strategy is trying to figure out how to get three in a row. The other part is trying to figure out how to stop the other player from getting three in a row.

You also have to watch where the other player places their markers. That could change what you do next. If the other player gets two markers in a row, you have to put your next marker in the last empty square in that row, or the other player will win. You are forced to play in a particular square or lose the game.

If you always pay attention and look ahead, you'll never lose a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. You may not win, but at least you'll tie.