The main principle is to create a situation in which 2 lines are almost filled at once. Then the enemy’s move no longer matters (see figure, numbers - order of moves). To create such a situation, it is best to occupy the middle of the field.
Step 2
Consider a situation where you start and put a cross in the center. The opponent has the choice of placing the zero in the corner or in the center of any line. If he chooses option 2, then he has already lost. You just need to put the following cross as in the picture (rotate the field depending on the enemy’s move). The number 4 marks the forced move of the “toe” to protect the inclined line. The number 5 marks your next move to create a hopeless situation.
Step 3
If the opponent chooses the first option, then you need to put a cross in the opposite corner (see figure). The opponent will have the choice to place a zero in position 4 or 5 (similarly on the second line). If he chooses 4, then you put a cross in position 5 and win, if the opponent chooses position 5, then the result is a draw (there is also an extremely illogical move to one of the positions 6, then put a cross in the second 6 and again you win) . If you put a cross (on move 3) in any other place, it will automatically be a draw.
Step 4
Consider the situation when the enemy starts. If he puts a zero in the center, then he needs to go on the defensive and make a draw. You have to put a cross in the corner. Then see the previous step (on the “other” side).
Step 5
If the opponent places a zero in the center of the line (as in the figure), then you cannot place a cross in the cells marked in red. Otherwise, the enemy will make a move to position 3 (on the side where you placed the cross), and then to the center and you lose. It is best to take the center, and then, if possible, take one of the 3 positions. This will ensure either a draw or your win (watch out for the opportunity to create a combination described in step 1, for example, if the opponent puts a zero on the opposite side, then occupying the 3rd position will automatically create a winning situation).
Step 6
If the opponent puts a zero in the corner, then there are many options. In Fig. prohibited moves (top row) and typical mistakes are presented. If you avoid them, there will be a draw.
Step 7
If you start, you can also start your move off center. See the previous two steps, putting yourself in the shoes of the zeros. Thus, it is most advantageous to start the move in the corner of the field, since only 2 paths out of 8 remain for the enemy, and there is a greater chance that he will make a mistake.
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Each of us at least once in our lives played the famous tic-tac-toe game, trying to build 3 crosses or 3 zeros in a row or diagonally on a nine-cell field. If you have practiced this game enough, you probably know that two experienced players always end the game in a draw, and this makes the game uninteresting for them. In this article you will read about how to win at tic-tac-toe, or at least not lose, and also learn all the tricks and secrets of beating this popular game.
A little about the rules. The goal of the game is to line up 3 identical figures (3 crosses or 3 zeros) horizontally, vertically or diagonally on a nine-cell field in a row before your playing partner does. The game of tic-tac-toe begins with the player's move, who places a cross in any cell on the three by three playing field (we note right away that he has a much greater chance of winning than his opponent). After this, the second player places a zero in any free cell. Then the cross moves again. Then again zero. And this continues until:
- One of the players will not build 3 crosses or 3 zeros in a row or diagonally, and as a result will be declared the winner;
- There will be no free cells left, and there will be no three identical pieces in a row on the field - in this case, a draw is declared.
Tactics of crosses
The first move of crosses. The most advantageous position is the middle of the playing field, or as marked in the diagram, cell No. 5. This is where your figure should be entered if this cell is free, and this is why beginner crosses always have an advantage. Through the central cell you can build the largest number of possible winning options: two diagonals, one horizontal and one vertical.
Second move of crosses. After you have made your first move by placing a cross in the center, all you have to do is wait for your opponent’s move. In general, he has only 2 possible options: place a zero in one of the “corner” cells (No. 1, No. 3, No. 7 and No. 9) or place his piece in cells No. 2, No. 4, No. 6 or No. 8. And it should immediately be noted that your ability to win fundamentally depends on this move.
If the player chooses one of the off-diagonal cells No. 2, No. 4, No. 6 or No. 8, then you have a win-win strategy. In other words, you can win with 100% probability if you know how to act correctly. This algorithm is described in the diagram below. First of all, you need to place a cross with your second move in the corner square, forcing your opponent to defend. And after that, you occupy another free corner cell, as a result of which you have 2 rows, where only one cross is missing (this is shown in the last field of the diagram). Wherever your opponent puts his zero, you win anyway, having a backup strategy.
If your opponent chooses cells No. 1, No. 3, No. 7 and No. 9 with his first move, then you do not have an absolute winning strategy, and you should rely only on the further inattention of the second player, which is quite rare in such a simple game.
The third and subsequent moves of crosses. Further moves of the “crosses” should be aimed at building 3 of their own pieces in a row, as well as stopping the unlikely, but still possible attempts of the “zeroes” to place 3 pieces in a row.
Also, in order to win, “crosses” can start not only from the central cell, but also from the corner. Read more about this.
Algorithms for moving zeros
If you happen to play with zeros, then in most cases you will only have to fight for a draw. However, you have a chance to win if you are playing with a completely inexperienced player.
The first move of zeros. If player No. 1 for some reason did not occupy the central cell, feel free to put a zero there and proceed further, relying on the strategy of crosses described above. But, most likely, the central cell will already be occupied by the time of your initial move. In this case, do not make the unforgivable mistake and do not put a zero in cells No. 2, No. 4, No. 6 or No. 8, but select only diagonal cells No. 1, No. 3, No. 7 and No. 9.
Second and subsequent moves. Further moves of the “noughts” should be aimed at stopping the attempts of the “crosses” to place 3 pieces in a row, and also, if possible, at building 3 zeros in a row, which is practically impossible.
All game strategies
The graph below, which can be found on Wikipedia, shows possible strategies for winning and drawing in a tic-tac-toe game on a field of 9 squares. 
***
I hope this article has become an assistant for you in the tricks of tic-tac-toe, including money and strip, and you now know some necessary tactics and strategies in order to win (or at least not lose) this wonderful game. game. And if you have comments, feedback and suggestions, leave them below.
The first article examines various options for solving the problem, but there is no implementation in the form of a game; in the second, there is a game, but the computer “plays” rather poorly. I decided to make my version of the gomoku blackjack game a fairly strong computer game. A publication about what happened in the end. For those who like to jump straight into battle - the game itself.
To begin with, I want to decide on the main points. Firstly, there are many varieties of the gomoku game, I settled on this version: the playing field is 15x15, the crosses go first, the one who is the first to build 5 in a row wins. Secondly, for simplicity, I will call the game algorithm for calculating the computer's moves AI.
Thank you for your attention. I hope you enjoyed reading and playing as much as I enjoyed implementing it :)
P.S. A small request, if you win easily, please attach a screenshot of the game and moves (from the console logs) for analysis and improvement of the algorithm.
Update 1
1. Increased the importance of scales for attack by 10%. Now attack for AI is preferable to defense, all other things being equal. For example, if the AI and the user have 4ka, then the AI will prefer to win.2. Changed the values of the weights according to the templates. By balancing the weights more clearly, you can achieve better AI performance.
Template weights are now as follows:
99999 - xxxxx - five in a row (final winning line)
7000 - _xxxx_ - open four
4000 - _xxxx - semi-closed four (two such fours are preferable to one open one, perhaps the “game” will be more interesting)
2000 - _x_xxx, _xx_xx, _xxx_x - semi-closed four with a gap (2 such fours are equal to one open four and are “preferred” to an open three; but if there is only 1 such four, then an open three is preferable)
3000 - _xxx_ - open three
1500 - _xxx - semi-closed threesome
800 - _xx_x, _x_xx - half-closed three with a gap
200 - _xx_ open deuce
There are also small weights (from 1 to 20-30) around all moves to create a “slight randomness of the move.”
Hello, readers of my blog, today I will tell you how to win at tic-tac-toe.
A wonderful game that doesn’t require much preparation, just find a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and a partner.
In fact, the game is simple and, at the same time, complex. Many people don’t take it seriously, which is why they lose. To be honest, I myself didn’t understand how to play it, but then I analyzed all the possible moves and realized that it all comes down to mathematics.
Why is this game so simple? The thing is that there are only 9 cells here, that is, you have 1 of 9 initial options, and then this number is reduced by 1. That is, if you made your move, then your opponent no longer has 9 options, but only 8, because 1 cell is already occupied.
Well, I think you understood this without me, today I’m just “Captain Obvious”. Why is it difficult, because there are possible combinations here, and if you want to learn how to win this game, then you will need a pen, as well as a blank piece of paper.
How to win at tic-tac-toe
Basic concepts you need to know:
Field– a conditional field of 3x3 cells, where the battle takes place.
Crosses- these are the “x” icons, they go first.
O's- these are the “0” icons, they come second.
Victory– when a player collects 3 crosses or 3 zeros in a row.
Here is an example of a field.
In order for you to analyze correctly, let's number each cell.
At least so that you understand which field is which.
Winning strategy in 3x3
Remember that if you play for zeros, that is, you need to make the second move, then against a strong opponent you will only make a draw. It's difficult to win with zeros, since they go second and almost always defend against the threats that crosses create (they go first).
Don't be surprised by what I write, as for beginners, I want you to understand how to win with crosses and how to draw with zeros.
Let's begin...
The best strategy. The crosses make a move to the 5th cell, which is in the middle.
Next, REMEMBER that if the zeroes make their second move not on a DIAGONAL CELL, then they lose. It doesn’t matter which square, they make a move: 2, 4, 6, 8, if they put a zero on any of these fields, then they lose forcibly.
For example, you bet on 5, they bet on 2, now you bet on 1 or 3, threatening to make 3 crosses on the diagonal. Well, ok, you bet on 1, it turns out that if you put a cross on the 9th field, you will win. You are forced to place a zero on square 9, but now you win exquisitely by betting a cross on square 7.
It turns out that you are threatening to place three crosses diagonally with a move of 3 and vertically with a move of 4. Beauty, isn’t it?
The best defense for zeros is, after moving 5 for crosses, to make the moves: 1, 3, 7, 9, in this case, if you are careful, you will always make a draw. Remember this simple rule and you will never lose.
Tricky strategy for crosses
But, after all, the player is not at all obliged to make the first move to the middle, that is, to cell 5. There is a very cool trap here: you make the first move to the corner field.
The best defense here would be to occupy the field with zeros - 5, since it is free, then it needs to be occupied. In this case, the zeros will always make a draw, by constantly threatening to put three in a row themselves.
If, for example, the crosses make a move to square 1, then it would be a mistake to move 4 and 9; in these cases, the crosses forcefully win.
Let's look at these options:
A) Crosses– 1, zeros – 4, crosses – 5, zeros – 9 (forced), crosses – 3 with winnings on fields 2 or 7 depending on the answer of the zeros.
C) Crosses – 1, zeros – 9, crosses – 3, zeros – 2 (forced), crosses – 7 with winnings on fields 4 or 5 depending on the answer of the zeros.
Well, that's all, friends, I hope that now you know how to win at tic-tac-toe 3x3. There is nothing complicated in it (the game), with proper defense, there will always be a draw, but, as you can see, there are interesting options for crosses in which you can catch zeros.
I wish you success, if I forgot to write something, then remind me, maybe even in a comment.
Good luck everyone, bye!
Sincerely, Yuri Vatsenko!
At school I was a champion at tic-tac-toe, playing without knowing defeat. This game was a favorite way to pass the time before recess during boring classes.
When there were no computer games and applications for smartphones, all we needed to play was a squared piece of notebook paper and a pencil. In winter, they played tic-tac-toe outside, drawing the playing field with a twig in the snow.
Now childhood games have acquired a “mobile” character and are available online. But the rules of the game and the winning strategy remained the same. Having mastered the simple algorithm from this note, you can easily win tic-tac-toe from Zoya, win 5 in a row in a meta school and never lose to a living person.
Tic-tac-toe, game rules
The playing field is a 3x3 square drawn on a piece of paper and lined with nine cells. Two lines are drawn along the square, two lines across.
We will consider options when the playing field has dimensions from 4 x 4 to infinity below, after analyzing the game combinations in the 3x3 field.
The basic principles are general, and once you master the match-three algorithm, you will be able to confidently play more complex and interesting variants of this ancient game.
The first move is made by the player playing with crosses. The second move is for the player playing with zeroes. The crosses have already occupied one cell, and the zeroes choose an empty one from the remaining cells to move.
Players take turns changing who plays for the X's and O's.
The ancient Chinese, instead of the drawn symbols “X” and “0”, placed stones, black and white, on the field. Now at home you can use a chessboard as a field and use checkers to indicate the square on which the move is made.
The winner is the player who is the first to build (within the playing field) a line of three of his symbols: horizontal, vertical or diagonal.
Winning strategy step by step video analysis
A short video clip for those who find it easier to perceive information. For those who are more interested in reading, scroll on.
- You won.
- Draw. There are no more empty cells on the playing field and there is nowhere else to go.
There are two possible outcomes of the game:
We do not consider the “You lost” option, since those who read this article to the end are not in danger of losing. I won’t teach you how to win all the time, but I will tell you how you can always reduce the game to a draw.
For the convenience of the story, I marked each square of the playing field with numbers, from 1 to 9.
(5) - central cell.
(1), (3), (7), (9) - corner cells.
(2), (4), (6), (8) - side cells.
In order not to prolong the story, I will consider one combination for each variant of the first move. If in my example the zeroes went to the corner cell (1), and in your case to the corner cell (3), (7) or (9), then mentally expand the field and continue to walk according to the algorithm I outlined.
Situation No. 1, crosses go to the center
When the crosses occupy the central cell (5) with their first move, the zeroes have to move to the corner cell or to the side.
At this point everything is already decided. The zeros go to the corner square - it's a draw. If the zeros go to any side cell, you win. You can start a new game, this game no longer makes sense.
In our example, the zeroes went to the side cell (8).
The crosses, in return, occupy any corner cell, for example, cell (1) and get a line of two crosses (see figure).
The main wisdom of the game and the basis of all tactics rests on two principles:
Principle 1. Occupy the square that will bring you immediate victory;
Principle 2. If there is no such square, occupy a square that will bring immediate victory to your opponent.
Now the zeros cannot win on their own, and according to the second principle they occupy cell (9), in turn forming a line of two zeros, see step 4.
The crosses occupying cell (7) neutralize the threat from the zeroes and at the same time build two lines from their figures. To win in the next turn, the crosses will need to occupy cell (3) or (4). See step 5.
This formation, when one move creates two threats, is called FORK.
The zeroes in the sixth step, occupying cell (3), cover one threat from the crosses.
Crosses according to principle 1, go to square (4) and win.
Situation No. 2, crosses go to the center
Let's assume that you are now playing with zeros. In order not to lose this match, you need to take the corner cell with your first move. It doesn’t matter which one you prefer (1), (3), (7) or (9). Let's take (1) as an example, see the figure below, step 2.
The crosses, again, no matter where they go, will receive a line of two figures. see step 3.
The zeros cover the line of crosses and create their own threat - see step 4.
Crosses according to principle 2 go to square (4), zeros go to square (6). See step 5 and 6.
Regardless of what the previous move was for the crosses, the zeroes should occupy the remaining free side cell (2) or (8). The crosses occupy the last free cell - the game ends in a draw.
It won’t be possible to build a fork with crosses at this start of the game, but they won’t be able to build zeros either. If, by inattention, after the 6th step, the zeroes go to the corner cell (9) instead of the side cell (2) or (8), then the crosses will win by building a horizontal line (2)-(5)-(8).
Situation No. 3, crosses go to the corner
You play with crosses again, now for a change we go to the corner, no matter what the corner square is. See fig. below, step 1.
The move of the zeros, as in situation No. 1, the outcome of the game depends on this move. If the zeros go to the side cell, then you will build a fork and win.
If the zeros take the center or corner cell on their first move, there will be a draw. The zeros will have to rely on your inattention, which will give them victory. But in our example, such an outcome is not provided for.
In the case of a move with zeroes to the side square, step 2, you occupy another corner square, forming a threat - a line of two pieces. See step 3.
We will deliberately leave the center, cell (5) empty for zeros. Often, the zeros, instead of closing your threat by moving to the side square (2), joyfully occupy the center.
If the enemy fell for the trick and moved to cell (5), we occupy cell (2) and the line is built (1)-(2)-(3)
Let's not underestimate our opponent, and in step 4 he closed our threat with a move to the side square (2)
The crosses have no choice but to occupy the central cell (5) according to the first principle and build a fork.
Now, see step 6, no matter where the zero pokes, we will have one of the two corner cells (7) or (9) free, a move into which will bring us victory.
Situation No. 4, crosses go to the side square
The move itself is not justified in terms of future victory. The possible outcomes are a draw or a loss due to inattention.
You can consider a combination when you put yourself in a tactically disadvantageous position from the first move on your own, based on the two principles of the game mentioned above.
Renju, string of pearls, gomoku, five in a row
When you feel cramped and bored in the 3x3 playing field, and playing three in a row is no longer fun, move on to a larger playing area.
Renju is a persistent logic game for two players, which was known in ancient China and Japan. A sporty version of the classic tic-tac-toe.
The playing field for renju has dimensions from 15x15 and larger. This is where the scope for strategies and tactics begins. Each batch has a unique character.
The player who is the first to build a line of five pieces of his color also wins. The line can be in any direction - diagonally, vertically, horizontally.
For the convenience of playing long lines (five in a row), the crosses and toes should be different colors. Otherwise, your eyes will become blurry and you may mistake other people’s chips for your own, because They are the same color, although different shapes. In the classic version, the chips (stones, circles) that players move are black and white.
According to the rules, the first move is made by black and they are prohibited from making forks 3x3, 4x4, as well as a row of 6 or more “stones” of their color in a row.
But black can make forks of size 3x4, when in one move two intersecting lines are formed - one three stones long, the second of 4 stones. So there is no reason for anyone who plays white to relax.
- They can build forks of any size and any multiplicity;
- Victory for White is brought not only by a line of 5 in a row, but also from a larger number of stones;
- To win, White can force Black to build a line of 6 or more stones in a row.
White, for going second, has the following advantages:
Draw
A player may skip a move if it is not currently beneficial for him to change the location of his stones on the playing field.
If both players refuse a move in a row, a draw is declared.
All free cells are gone - it's a draw.
It turns out that the player can still miss a move because he has nowhere to go.
Gomoku, differences from Renju
- There are no fouls (illegal moves) for Black, and Black can build forks of any multiplicity and length.
- A row of six or more stones of the same color does not bring victory to either side.
Gomoku has softer rules to make it easier to play in everyday life. The rules of Renju are focused on sports competitions.
Services where you can play online
All services for playing online have game modes with a computer, with another user and a second player who is next to you.
Also, almost everyone has a version of the game Renju. The links are given below; I personally played on all the sites. No mandatory registration required.
I recommend a service where your opponent is a living person. There are services where the computer is very weak, and there are services where the game plays badly or the game looks non-standard. But all computers are weak at playing the long version of five in a row. If there was a draw in tic-tac-toe, then the computer loses in renju.
On this note, I say goodbye to you and see you again on the pages of my diary. Don't forget to subscribe to updates - next time I'll tell you how to always win a sea battle.
Alexander Utyshev was with you
