What is the optimal first move in tic-tac-toe?
$begingroup$
I have been told that it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie in normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe, but that the first move is very important. What is that important first move?
tic-tac-toe game
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I have been told that it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie in normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe, but that the first move is very important. What is that important first move?
tic-tac-toe game
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I have been told that it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie in normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe, but that the first move is very important. What is that important first move?
tic-tac-toe game
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
I have been told that it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie in normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe, but that the first move is very important. What is that important first move?
tic-tac-toe game
tic-tac-toe game
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
edited Feb 1 '15 at 17:53
Gamow
33.8k9123364
33.8k9123364
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
asked May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
2,19522038
1
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18
1
1
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Tic-tac-toe has been solved. The optimal first move is to go in the corner.
As always, there is a relevant xkcd.
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
The first move can be made anywhere without sacrificing the game. If the opponent plays perfectly, any first move leads to a draw.
However, if the opponent does not play perfectly, then the optimal place to go is the corner, since that leaves only one spot (the center) for the opponent to go to get a draw, increasing their chance of making a mistake.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you're first: Go in a corner.
If you're second, and the first person went in a corner: Go in the middle.
From both of these positions, it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
add a comment |
$begingroup$
One way to answer this is to consider all 255,168 possible games of tic-tac-toe and record if they result in a win, draw or loss for the starting player and analysing where the first move was for each of those games. According to such an analysis, opening in the centre is best, in this case.
Taking it a step further, about 90% of those games are "stupid" because they include moves where players either miss the chance to win immediately or they miss blocking the opponent who can win in their next move. If you disregard those games, then the best opening move becomes a question of how you define "best". If you consider the number of winning games that there are after opening, then an edge opening is best. If you want to avoid drawing or losing, then the center is best. You can combine those results, say weighting winning with a factor of one hundred, drawing with a factor of 10 and losing with a factor of -1. This results in the center again being the best place to start.
In contradiction to most of the answers here, starting in the corner is hence not the best move, when using the number of games that can be played from an opening move as an indicator of what is "best".
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is a nice article analyzing the Tic Tac Toe first move strategy at https://paperandpencilgames.com/2019/01/tic-tac-toe-strategy-tutorial.html
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "559"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpuzzling.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f30%2fwhat-is-the-optimal-first-move-in-tic-tac-toe%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Tic-tac-toe has been solved. The optimal first move is to go in the corner.
As always, there is a relevant xkcd.
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Tic-tac-toe has been solved. The optimal first move is to go in the corner.
As always, there is a relevant xkcd.
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Tic-tac-toe has been solved. The optimal first move is to go in the corner.
As always, there is a relevant xkcd.
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
$endgroup$
Tic-tac-toe has been solved. The optimal first move is to go in the corner.
As always, there is a relevant xkcd.
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
edited Mar 9 '17 at 18:58
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
answered May 14 '14 at 22:15
SQBSQB
3,7262153
3,7262153
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
$begingroup$
This is actually the most comprehensive answer yet. Wish I'd thought of it.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 22:16
1
1
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
$begingroup$
@Xynariz: Oddly, you did think of it first according to the timestamp on this comment; that diagram is in the link you provided.
$endgroup$
– blunders
May 15 '14 at 2:48
4
4
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I'm a bit sorry for 'stealing' the accepted answer like this. Using xkcd is a surefire way to get a high scoring answer.
$endgroup$
– SQB
May 15 '14 at 7:27
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
I didn't accept the answer because it was from XKCD, I accepted it because it is the most complete answer, followed (currently) by Kendall's.
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 16 '14 at 2:04
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
$begingroup$
As much as I like everything xkcd does, this particular visualisation is actually a bit hard to read, if you were going to try to use it for strategising.
$endgroup$
– Trejkaz
Nov 20 '17 at 4:48
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
The first move can be made anywhere without sacrificing the game. If the opponent plays perfectly, any first move leads to a draw.
However, if the opponent does not play perfectly, then the optimal place to go is the corner, since that leaves only one spot (the center) for the opponent to go to get a draw, increasing their chance of making a mistake.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The first move can be made anywhere without sacrificing the game. If the opponent plays perfectly, any first move leads to a draw.
However, if the opponent does not play perfectly, then the optimal place to go is the corner, since that leaves only one spot (the center) for the opponent to go to get a draw, increasing their chance of making a mistake.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The first move can be made anywhere without sacrificing the game. If the opponent plays perfectly, any first move leads to a draw.
However, if the opponent does not play perfectly, then the optimal place to go is the corner, since that leaves only one spot (the center) for the opponent to go to get a draw, increasing their chance of making a mistake.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
$endgroup$
The first move can be made anywhere without sacrificing the game. If the opponent plays perfectly, any first move leads to a draw.
However, if the opponent does not play perfectly, then the optimal place to go is the corner, since that leaves only one spot (the center) for the opponent to go to get a draw, increasing their chance of making a mistake.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
answered May 14 '14 at 21:44
Kendall FreyKendall Frey
2,6631727
2,6631727
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
1
1
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
$begingroup$
Also, even if they do go in the center, you can go in the opposite corner and if they play in a third corner you win, also.
$endgroup$
– durron597
May 14 '14 at 21:52
3
3
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
You could also add that, since you are obviously playing against a human, you should keep changing your starting position (not going for the corner every time) so that the opponent takes more time to learn the perfect strategy.
$endgroup$
– ghosts_in_the_code
Apr 19 '15 at 15:58
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
$begingroup$
@kendall frey Why the corner - do you have any references?
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:09
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you're first: Go in a corner.
If you're second, and the first person went in a corner: Go in the middle.
From both of these positions, it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you're first: Go in a corner.
If you're second, and the first person went in a corner: Go in the middle.
From both of these positions, it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If you're first: Go in a corner.
If you're second, and the first person went in a corner: Go in the middle.
From both of these positions, it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
$endgroup$
If you're first: Go in a corner.
If you're second, and the first person went in a corner: Go in the middle.
From both of these positions, it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie.
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
answered May 14 '14 at 21:39
XynarizXynariz
2,19522038
2,19522038
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
add a comment |
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
3
3
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
$begingroup$
It would be nice seeing the data to back this up.
$endgroup$
– IQAndreas
May 14 '14 at 21:45
2
2
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
$begingroup$
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe#Strategy
$endgroup$
– Xynariz
May 14 '14 at 21:57
3
3
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
To guarantee no worse than a tie, the first move makes no difference. It's the second move that's important.
$endgroup$
– Michael Myers
May 21 '14 at 5:14
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
$begingroup$
Wikipedia does not say that starting in the corner is best.
$endgroup$
– Ant Kutschera
Apr 7 '18 at 21:10
add a comment |
$begingroup$
One way to answer this is to consider all 255,168 possible games of tic-tac-toe and record if they result in a win, draw or loss for the starting player and analysing where the first move was for each of those games. According to such an analysis, opening in the centre is best, in this case.
Taking it a step further, about 90% of those games are "stupid" because they include moves where players either miss the chance to win immediately or they miss blocking the opponent who can win in their next move. If you disregard those games, then the best opening move becomes a question of how you define "best". If you consider the number of winning games that there are after opening, then an edge opening is best. If you want to avoid drawing or losing, then the center is best. You can combine those results, say weighting winning with a factor of one hundred, drawing with a factor of 10 and losing with a factor of -1. This results in the center again being the best place to start.
In contradiction to most of the answers here, starting in the corner is hence not the best move, when using the number of games that can be played from an opening move as an indicator of what is "best".
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
One way to answer this is to consider all 255,168 possible games of tic-tac-toe and record if they result in a win, draw or loss for the starting player and analysing where the first move was for each of those games. According to such an analysis, opening in the centre is best, in this case.
Taking it a step further, about 90% of those games are "stupid" because they include moves where players either miss the chance to win immediately or they miss blocking the opponent who can win in their next move. If you disregard those games, then the best opening move becomes a question of how you define "best". If you consider the number of winning games that there are after opening, then an edge opening is best. If you want to avoid drawing or losing, then the center is best. You can combine those results, say weighting winning with a factor of one hundred, drawing with a factor of 10 and losing with a factor of -1. This results in the center again being the best place to start.
In contradiction to most of the answers here, starting in the corner is hence not the best move, when using the number of games that can be played from an opening move as an indicator of what is "best".
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
One way to answer this is to consider all 255,168 possible games of tic-tac-toe and record if they result in a win, draw or loss for the starting player and analysing where the first move was for each of those games. According to such an analysis, opening in the centre is best, in this case.
Taking it a step further, about 90% of those games are "stupid" because they include moves where players either miss the chance to win immediately or they miss blocking the opponent who can win in their next move. If you disregard those games, then the best opening move becomes a question of how you define "best". If you consider the number of winning games that there are after opening, then an edge opening is best. If you want to avoid drawing or losing, then the center is best. You can combine those results, say weighting winning with a factor of one hundred, drawing with a factor of 10 and losing with a factor of -1. This results in the center again being the best place to start.
In contradiction to most of the answers here, starting in the corner is hence not the best move, when using the number of games that can be played from an opening move as an indicator of what is "best".
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
$endgroup$
One way to answer this is to consider all 255,168 possible games of tic-tac-toe and record if they result in a win, draw or loss for the starting player and analysing where the first move was for each of those games. According to such an analysis, opening in the centre is best, in this case.
Taking it a step further, about 90% of those games are "stupid" because they include moves where players either miss the chance to win immediately or they miss blocking the opponent who can win in their next move. If you disregard those games, then the best opening move becomes a question of how you define "best". If you consider the number of winning games that there are after opening, then an edge opening is best. If you want to avoid drawing or losing, then the center is best. You can combine those results, say weighting winning with a factor of one hundred, drawing with a factor of 10 and losing with a factor of -1. This results in the center again being the best place to start.
In contradiction to most of the answers here, starting in the corner is hence not the best move, when using the number of games that can be played from an opening move as an indicator of what is "best".
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
answered Apr 7 '18 at 21:32
Ant KutscheraAnt Kutschera
1012
1012
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is a nice article analyzing the Tic Tac Toe first move strategy at https://paperandpencilgames.com/2019/01/tic-tac-toe-strategy-tutorial.html
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is a nice article analyzing the Tic Tac Toe first move strategy at https://paperandpencilgames.com/2019/01/tic-tac-toe-strategy-tutorial.html
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There is a nice article analyzing the Tic Tac Toe first move strategy at https://paperandpencilgames.com/2019/01/tic-tac-toe-strategy-tutorial.html
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
There is a nice article analyzing the Tic Tac Toe first move strategy at https://paperandpencilgames.com/2019/01/tic-tac-toe-strategy-tutorial.html
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
answered 3 mins ago
user57020user57020
1
1
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
user57020 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Puzzling Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpuzzling.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f30%2fwhat-is-the-optimal-first-move-in-tic-tac-toe%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
1
$begingroup$
See related discussion at meta meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/63/…
$endgroup$
– James Jenkins
May 15 '14 at 12:31
$begingroup$
a few years back out of curiosity, I worked this out. but looks like some other people have already nailed it.(stick with a corner)
$endgroup$
– Br0therBrigham
Mar 9 '17 at 16:18