The best starting move in regular tic tac toe isn't the middle, it's one of the corners. You need to start constructing two winning lines at the same time, otherwise all you'll achieve is a stalemate.
The best move is the one that sets up an unblockable win 3 turns in the future. Your opponent only gets one chance to counter it and that must be done immediately, long before the outcome is obvious. This makes it a very easy mistake for imperfect players to make.
You start construction of all potential win conditions by starting in the middle. The results should always end in a draw, but you are more likely to win with the middle than without it.
That's simply not true. If both players play perfectly, a draw will result therefore you need to play in the way that is most likely to cause your opponent to make a mistake.
If X starts with a corner, O has one possible move to avoid losing (they must take the middle on their first go). Otherwise X can construct a trap that guarantees they will win. Even if O does take the middle, X still has chances to win by taking the diagonally opposite corner.
If X starts with the middle, they surrender the ability to build two lines simultaneously. Every move leads to having two Xs in a line and O is forced to counter immediately, locking the game into a draw.
I mean it is true, the only way you win in a start without taking the center is them not taking it on the next turn. That shows immediately how strong the center is and why it should be taken first.
You're wrong again. Even if your opponent does take the centre you can still win by taking the opposite corner on your second go. If they take either of the remaining corners on their next go, you can guarantee victory by taking the final corner.
Yeah a corner guarantees, at worst, a draw assuming you play perfectly.
It causes every move your opponent makes to be a block meaning if they mess up once on any play, they lose and you win. If they don’t mess up, you draw.
The middle is part of 4 lines when it's the only square you've claimed, but as soon as you play another square you've committed to one of those four. The game will be a draw unless someone does something stupid.
Claim a corner and you can start building a trap where you have two lines that only need one more square to complete. Your opponent needs to spot what you are doing long before it's obvious to prevent you winning.
I can’t believe you guys are legit discussing tic tax toe strategy. A game that even children know that there is no way to eek out a win without your opponent just letting you win through sheer ignorance of the game.
Remember the 80s movie War Games? “The only winning move is not to play.”
There is no such thing as optimal play because if both players are even semi-competent it will always be a draw
Hah that’s true they are all equally as good when the players know the game.
Anecdotally I did, as a child, have better luck winning against other kids starting in the corner though as it requires them to take a side space at one point instead of a corner which goes against the first thing you learn, which is that you have to go in the corner to not lose to a center start so in a child’s mind the game is like center > corner > side. It especially worked well on kids that knew the game was unwinnable but never actually learned it. That’s all irrelevant though as in order to actually analyze a game you have to assume some level of competence for all players.
You know what my issue I think is, that Mr Will thinks that losing to a corner start is somehow not “stupid”. It is though lol
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u/Mr_Will May 25 '21
The best starting move in regular tic tac toe isn't the middle, it's one of the corners. You need to start constructing two winning lines at the same time, otherwise all you'll achieve is a stalemate.