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Questions tagged [tic-tac-toe]

Puzzles centered around tic-tac-toe (a.k.a. noughts and crosses).

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9 votes
3 answers
556 views

4x4 Tic-tac-toe variant where three (or four) in a row wins only on the 8th turn

Standard Tic-tac-toe is a 2-player game played on the following 3x3 grid in which the players take turns marking an empty square with the goal of getting three of their marks in a row either ...
Will.Octagon.Gibson's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
389 views

Blindfolded tic-tac-toe with a twist

You're playing tic-tac-toe and you're blindfolded. The objective is to never lose, winning when given the chance under the classic ruleset of the game. Furthermore, an observer who is only aware of ...
Thheo_sc2's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
1k views

Pigpen Tic-Tac-Toe

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #3: Pencil and Paper Games Introducing a new tic-tac-toe variant of my own devising (at least I haven't found an equivalent anywhere online). ...
Stiv's user avatar
  • 159k
7 votes
1 answer
438 views

Noughts and Crosses and... there's more?

Having been beaten at your favourite pencil and paper game, Noughts and Crosses, repeatedly by your friend, you decide to give up on your dreams of becoming Tic-Tac-Toe world champion. However you ...
Beastly Gerbil's user avatar
25 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is my favorite brand of pen?

This is an entry to the Monthly Topic Challenge #3: Pencil and Paper Games Given the following valid "tic-tac-toe" boards: What is my favorite brand of pen? Other possible tags to check ...
Amoz's user avatar
  • 30.5k
4 votes
1 answer
544 views

Tic-Tac-Toe on a Rubik's Cube

12 friends decide to play Tic-Tac-Toe on the surfaces of an opened Rubik's Cube which looks like this: When closed, the orientation of this Rubik's Cube is as follows: Surface Colour Up White Down ...
chandanr777 's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
863 views

Decision Paralysis

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #1: Restricted Title: xkcd 1xxx and is based on https://xkcd.com/1801/. Protip: If you ever need to defeat me, just give me two very similar options ...
noedne's user avatar
  • 21.5k
6 votes
2 answers
289 views

What is the ideal strategy in this randomised-goal tic-tac-toe variant?

In an SMBC comic published on 20 June 2022, Zach Weinersmith proposes the following variant of tic-tac-toe: Play consists of a number of rounds At the start of each round, each player rolls a d6 in ...
AakashM's user avatar
  • 161
3 votes
1 answer
367 views

Harary's generalized Tic-Tac-Toe; Winning strategy for Skinny on a 7 x 7 board?

Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is a ask question, not to offer a puzzle. Still, there are some puzzles here for the reader's pleasure. Disclaimer 2: This question was also asked on Math Stack ...
Mike Earnest's user avatar
19 votes
1 answer
2k views

Blindfold Tic-Tac-Toe

You are playing the classic game of 3x3 Tic-Tac-Toe. You are blindfolded and you cannot see the grid, while your opponent can see it. When making a move you call out a cell. If that cell is taken you ...
Dmitry Kamenetsky's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
274 views

Playing tic-tac-toe by submitting your moves in advance

Suppose that, instead of playing in your turn, you have to submit in advance, an ordered list of the 9 board positions. Then a computer plays for you by using, whenever it is your turn, the leftmost ...
Erel Segal-Halevi's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
892 views

How do you force a win in 4x4x4 TicTacToe

I have read in the wikipedia page of TicTacToe that it is possible for the first player to force a win in a 4x4x4 board. I tried to find a strategy on how to do it online but failed. So, how do you ...
Puzzlees's user avatar
  • 766
10 votes
2 answers
684 views

Buzzword Bingo Boss Battle!

Two bosses of different companies take turns delivering long speeches. Every speech much “claim” at least one unused square by uttering the corresponding buzzword(s) in the table below. Victory is ...
happystar's user avatar
  • 7,862
18 votes
1 answer
640 views

Noughts and Crosses puzzle

Eques and Knott are playing a game of standard 3x3 Noughts and Crosses. At no stage of the game has Eques threatened to complete a row of three on his very next turn. Suddenly Knott realises he must ...
happystar's user avatar
  • 7,862
13 votes
0 answers
544 views

Quantum tic tac toe strategy

Most of us learn tic tac toe early in our life. Also, it is easy to find an optimal strategy for playing. How about Quantum tic tac toe? What is the optimal strategy for playing it? Rules On a ...
George Menoutis's user avatar

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