About 1 minute · 2 players · Three of your marks in a row
Play Tic-Tac-Toe on a video call
The one-minute classic, played live with someone new while you watch them react. Here are the rules, the strategy that never loses, and how to play it on any video call.
Free · No sign-up · Built into every call
On Chatingly
How to play Tic-Tac-Toe on a video call
Send an invite
During a call, open the Games tab and pick the game. Your match gets an invite on their screen.
Take turns
Tap a square to place your mark. Moves appear on both screens instantly, next to the video.
Three in a row wins
Across, down or diagonal. A full board with no line is a draw.
Rematch
Tap Rematch for another round. Who goes first switches every game.
Tic-Tac-Toe rules
Two players take turns placing their mark, X or O, in an empty square of a 3×3 grid. The first player to get three marks in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins. If all nine squares fill up with no line of three, the game is a draw.
Tic-Tac-Toe is a solved game: if both players make no mistakes, every game ends in a draw. So winning is all about spotting the other person's mistakes, and not making your own.
How to never lose at Tic-Tac-Toe
On every turn, go down this list and play the first move that applies:
- Win: if you have two in a row with the third square empty, take it.
- Block: if they have two in a row, take the third square.
- Fork: make a move that creates two ways to win at once. They can only block one.
- Block their fork: if they can fork next turn, stop it, ideally by making two in a row yourself so they have to respond.
- Center: take the middle square if it's free.
- Opposite corner: if they're in a corner, take the corner opposite it.
- Empty corner: corners beat edges.
- Empty edge: only when nothing else is left.
Best first moves
Going first, start in a corner. A corner opening leaves the other player only one safe reply (the center); anything else lets you set up a fork and win.
Going second, answer a corner with the center, and answer a center opening with a corner, never an edge. Those replies guarantee at least a draw.
Playing a stranger, don't expect perfect play. Most people on a video call play fast and chat at the same time, so a corner opening wins more often than you'd think.
No app
Play Tic-Tac-Toe on FaceTime, WhatsApp or any call
On FaceTime, WhatsApp or Google Meet, one person draws a 3×3 grid on paper and holds it up to the camera. Number the squares 1 to 9 like a phone keypad, and call out a number on your turn. The person with the paper draws both players' marks.
It works, but it's slow, and the camera mirrors the paper for one of you. That's why Chatingly puts the board right next to the video, synced for both players.
More ideas in 12 games for any video call.
FAQ
Tic-Tac-Toe: questions
Can you always win Tic-Tac-Toe?
No. Against someone who makes no mistakes, the best you can do is a draw. You can make sure you never lose, though, by following the win, block, fork, center, corner order above.
Who goes first in Tic-Tac-Toe on Chatingly?
The first player switches every game, so a rematch always gives the other person the first move.
Is it free to play Tic-Tac-Toe on a video call here?
Yes. All six games on Chatingly are free, with no sign-up and no app. You play them with whoever you're matched with on a random video call.
Can I play Tic-Tac-Toe with a friend?
Chatingly matches you with strangers at random, so you can't invite a specific friend. To play with a friend, use the paper method above on any video call.
Up for a round of Tic-Tac-Toe?
Get matched with someone new and send them an invite. Free, no sign-up.
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