Misère Tic-Tac-Toe

The classic rules — flipped. Three in a row means you lose. Try to force your opponent into making a line.

How Misère works

The rules are simple: it's regular 3×3 tic-tac-toe, but making three in a row means you lose. The goal is to force your opponent into a position where they're forced to complete a line.

This sounds easy, but it's surprisingly tricky. You can't just play randomly — you have to think about which squares will force your opponent into a losing line. Like classic tic-tac-toe, with perfect play the game is a draw.

Strategy tips:

• Avoid the center early. The center is in 4 winning lines — you want to be in fewer lines, not more.
• Edges are friendlier than corners. Edges are in 2 lines; corners are in 3.
• Count threats. Track how many "two in a rows" each player has. The first to be forced loses.