Rules
How to play
Every move decides the board your opponent must play next. Win three boards in a row to win the game.
- The send. Play the top-right cell of a small board, and your opponent must play in the top-right board.
- Unavailable board. If that board is already won or full, your opponent is free to play anywhere.
- Local draw. A small board filled with no three in a row counts for no one — and stops being a destination.
- Victory. Line up three won boards, in a row, column, or diagonal.
Frequently asked questions
What is super tic-tac-toe?
Super tic-tac-toe — also known as ultimate tic-tac-toe — takes the classic tic-tac-toe grid and repeats it nine times: each cell of the big grid is itself a small board to win, and winning three of these small boards in a line wins the whole game. The rules of super tic-tac-toe add three things to classic tic-tac-toe: redirection, unavailable boards and local draws. Ordinary tic-tac-toe is a solved game: two careful players always draw, and no strategy can change that. Nesting the boards removes that certainty: the cell you play determines the board where your opponent must respond, giving you more boards to watch and making every game unpredictable, even between experienced players.
How do I know where to play?
Learning how to play ultimate tic-tac-toe mainly means remembering the redirection rule: the cell you choose on a small board determines the small board where your opponent must play next. For example, if you play the top-right cell of any small board, your opponent must respond on the small board at the top right of the super board. This turns every move into two decisions: where to win locally, and which board to send your opponent to next. A move may look excellent on its small board yet accidentally hand your opponent a strategically important board — that is where most of the thinking happens.
What happens if the designated board has already been won?
If the designated small board has already been won, filled or drawn, your opponent is no longer forced to play there: they can play on any small board still open, just like on the very first move of the game. This causes the vast majority of beginner mistakes: by chasing a local win at any cost, you often send your opponent to a board that is already closed and unintentionally give them a completely free move — potentially a decisive one. Before each move, check the state of all nine small boards, not just the one you are contesting, to avoid opening up the game at the wrong moment.
Who gets a full small board with no winning line?
Nobody. When all nine cells of a small board are occupied without either player forming a line of three symbols, that board is a draw: neither side can count it towards the final victory. It does, however, block both players’ lines, and its cost depends entirely on its position in the big grid. That grid has eight lines: four pass through the central board, three through each corner and only two through each edge. A draw in the centre closes half the paths to victory; a draw on an edge closes a quarter. A drawn board also accepts no further moves: playing the cell that would send your opponent there instead lets them choose any board still open. Check the position of a board that is nearly full before redirecting your opponent to it.
How do you win the game?
You win the game by winning three small boards in a line on the super board — in a row, column or diagonal — just as you would win a small board in classic tic-tac-toe, but one level up. A won small board closes immediately: its remaining empty cells can never be played again, and the winner’s symbol stays there until the end of the game. If all small boards are decided, either won or drawn, without a line of three forming, the entire game ends in a draw, just like a full classic tic-tac-toe grid with no winner. This second level of victory is what gives redirection its purpose: every local move serves a global objective, winning the right board at the right time rather than just any board.
Is there a strategy to super tic-tac-toe?
Yes, and that is the whole appeal of the game: beyond the very first move, playing super tic-tac-toe well means looking several moves ahead and spotting which small boards offer a long-term advantage, even when they are not the easiest to win immediately. The real skill is therefore not winning as many small boards as possible, but choosing every move based on exactly where it forces your opponent to respond next, sometimes giving up a local win to keep control of the overall board.