Pocket Games
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe takes the most boring game in the world and gives it depth with a single rule: the cell you play in decides which grid your opponent has to play in. Suddenly every move means two things, and the draw is no longer guaranteed.
The rules
There are nine tic tac toe grids arranged as a 3×3 grid of grids. Winning a small grid claims the corresponding cell of the big grid, and whoever lines up three small grids horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins.
The rule that changes everything: the cell you choose inside a small grid sends your opponent to the matching grid on the big board. Play the top-right cell of your grid and your opponent has to play in the top-right small grid.
If the grid they would be sent to is already finished — won or full — your opponent is free to play anywhere. And that is the most dangerous event in the game.
You play two players on the same phone or against the bot at three levels: the highest looks several moves deep and punishes mistakes. Wins, draws and losses are stored on the device.
The core idea: never hand over a free move
A beginner reasons only about the grid they are playing in: they try to win it and ignore where they are sending their opponent. It is the mistake that decides almost every game between beginners.
The correct reasoning has two steps:
1. Where am I sending my opponent? Before even assessing whether the move is good for you, look at the destination grid: if they have two in a row there, you are handing them a grid. 2. What suits me in this grid? Only then.
And the worst move of all is the one sending your opponent to an already-closed grid, because at that point they choose where to play — and they will choose the grid where they are about to win.
Strategies that work
Losing a small grid is not a disaster. There are nine of them and you need three in a row: sacrificing a peripheral grid to send your opponent to a harmless cell is nearly always a good deal.
The central grid is worth more. Like the centre cell in ordinary tic tac toe, it takes part in four of the big grid’s eight lines. It is worth fighting there more than elsewhere.
Build your threats on the big grid. The aim is not to win grids, it is to win three in a row: two grids in line with the third contested is worth more than four scattered grids.
Centre cells are safe destinations. Sending your opponent to the central grid is dangerous, but playing the centre cell of your own grid is often excellent for you. You have to decide each time which effect weighs more: that tension is exactly what makes the game interesting.
Look two moves ahead, not one. The typical sequence is: I play here, they are forced there, from there they can only send me to that grid. Forced chains are long and whoever sees them wins.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if a small grid ends in a draw?
It stays unowned: that cell of the big grid goes to nobody, and the line running through it can no longer be completed.
Do I need to be good at tic tac toe?
It helps, but it is not enough: tic tac toe strategy applies inside the small grids, while the game is decided by where you send your opponent. It is a different game.
Is the hard bot unbeatable like in tic tac toe?
No, and it could not be: there are far too many possible games to examine them all. It looks a few moves ahead and punishes mistakes, but it can be beaten.
Does it go by another name?
In Italian it is called Tris Evolution. Classic tic tac toe is still available separately, for anyone who wants the two-minute version.
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