Tic Tac Toe—it's so simple, yet endlessly entertaining. But did you know that there's a mathematically proven strategy to follow that can help you win, or at least draw, every time you play? That's right; you never have to lose a game of Tic Tac Toe again, and we'll teach you exactly how. Keep reading to learn how to always win at Tic Tac Toe using a foolproof strategy.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Winning or Drawing when Playing First

  1. 1
    Play your first X in a corner. Most experienced tic tac toe players put the first "X" in a corner when they get to play first. This gives the opponent the most opportunities to make a mistake. If your opponent responds by putting an O anywhere besides the center, you can guarantee a win.[1]
  2. 2
    Try to win if your opponent plays the first O in the center. If your opponent plays their first O in the center, you have to wait for them to make a mistake before you can win. If they continue to play correctly, they can guarantee a tie. Here are your two options for your second move, followed by instructions on how to win if they make certain moves (if they don't, just keep blocking their plays and the game will be a tie):
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  3. 3
    Win automatically if your opponent plays their first O in any square besides the center. If your opponent puts his first O in any square besides the center, you can win. Respond by putting your second X in any other corner, with an empty space in between the two X's.
  4. 4
    Place your third X so you have two possible winning moves. Most of the time, your opponent will see that you have two X's in a row and block you. (If not, just win by making a row of three X's.) After this happens, there should be an empty square that is in line with both your first and your second X, with no enemy O's blocking that line. Put your third X in this square.
    • For example, take a piece of paper and draw a tic tac toe board with the top row "X O _", the middle row "O _ _," and the bottom row "X _ _." If you place your third X in the bottom right corner, it's in line with both of your other X's.
  5. 5
    Win with your fourth X. After your third X, there are two empty squares that will win you the game if an X goes into one of them. Since your opponent can only make one move, he can only block one of those squares. Write your fourth X into the square he didn't block, and you've won the game!
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Never Losing when Playing Second

  1. 1
    Force a draw if the opponent starts in the corner. If the opponent plays first and starts with an O in a corner, always put your first X in the center. Your second X should be placed on an edge, not a corner, unless you need to block your opponent from getting three in a row. Using this strategy, every game should be a draw.[3] Theoretically, you can win from this position, but your opponent would have to make a huge mistake, such as not seeing that you have two X's in a row.
    • In this section, your opponent is still playing O's, but remember they get to play first this time.
  2. 2
    Force a draw when the opponent starts in the center. When your opponent starts by putting down an O in the center, place your first X in a corner. After that, just keep blocking your opponent from scoring and the game will be a draw.[4] There is essentially no way for you to win from this position, unless your opponent stops trying to win or stop you from winning!
  3. 3
    Try to win if the opponent starts at the edge. Most of the time, your opponent will start with one of the moves above. However, if your opponent puts down the first O on an edge, not on a corner or center, you have a small chance to win. Put your first X in the center. If your opponent puts the second O on the opposite edge, making a row or column that reads O-X-O, put your second X in a corner. Then, if your opponent puts the third O in the edge that is adjacent to your X, making a line that reads O-X-O, put your third X in the empty square to block their row of two O's. From here, you can always win with your fourth X.[5]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Tic Tac Toe Variations

  1. 1
    Try these out if your tic tac toe games always end in draws. It might be fun for a while to be unbeatable at tic tac toe, but even without this article your friends might figure out how to stop you from winning. Once that happens, every single game of tic tac toe you play with them will be a draw — ugh. But you can still use basic tic tac toe rules to play games that aren't as easily solved. Try them out below.
  2. 2
    Play mental tic tac toe. The rules are exactly the same as tic tac toe, but there's no board! Instead, each player says their moves aloud, and pictures the board in their head. You can still use all the strategy advice in this article, but it can be difficult to concentrate on that when you're trying to remember where the X's and O's are.
  3. 3
    Play 3D tic tac toe. Draw three tic tac toe boards on separate pieces of paper. Label one board "top," another "middle," and the third board "bottom." You can play anywhere on these boards, and they work as though they were stacked on top of each other to make a cube.[6] For instance, taking the center on all three boards wins you the game, since it makes a line standing vertical through the cube. Getting three in a row on any single board also wins. See if you can figure out how to win with a diagonal line across all three boards.
  4. 4
    Play five in a row. Play this game, sometimes called Gomoku, on a piece of graph paper, without even having to draw a board. Instead of marking X's and O's inside the squares, write them at the intersections where the graph paper lines meet. You can make each move anywhere on the graph paper. The first player to get exactly five in a row (not six or more) wins the game.[7] This game is surprisingly complicated, despite its similarity to tic tac toe, and even has world championship tournaments.[8]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Is it possible to always end in a tie?
    Leonardy Cendana
    Leonardy Cendana
    Community Answer
    Yes. Two good players playing perfect games will end in a tie every time.
  • Question
    How often will putting your X or O in the center cause you to win and same for corners?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    It really depends on your opponent. Most people are quick-minded enough to play anybody to a draw.
  • Question
    Can I try to make my opponent mad until he or she makes a wrong, fatal move?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You could, but it's not good sportsmanship.
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Warnings

  • Even someone who doesn't know these strategies will catch on quickly if you start from the same position each side. Even if you are practicing starting at the corner, for instance, try starting from different corners so it takes them longer to figure out the pattern.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 139 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 2,948,806 times.
160 votes - 68%
Co-authors: 139
Updated: October 13, 2022
Views: 2,948,806
Categories: Featured Articles | Games
Article SummaryX

The right way to always win at Tic Tac Toe depends on whether you’re going first or second. If you’re going first, put your first “X” in one of the corners. If the other player puts their first “O” anywhere other than the center, you can win every time. Just put your second “X” in another corner so there’s an empty space between your two “X”s. Then, on your next move, put your third “X” in another corner. Now you’ll have two opportunities to win, and your opponent will only be able to block one of them. If your opponent does put their first “O” in the center, follow the same strategy to either win or tie. If you’re going second, there’s no guaranteed way to win unless your opponent makes a mistake, but you can play defense to force a tie. If your opponent plays their first “O” in a corner, always play your first “X” in the center so there's a chance of a tie. Then, watch your opponents moves and try to block them from getting three in a row. Keep reading to learn how to win variations of tic tac toe!

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