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ULTIMATE TIC-TAC-TOE: A GAME THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
I’ve hated the game of Tic-Tac-Toe ever since the end of my elementary school days. When I was younger, I loved Tic-Tac-Toe because I loved trying to figure out how to create that elusive double win situation against my unwitting foe. However, as I got older, I realized that the limitations of a 3 by 3 grid meant that a game well played inevitably resulted in the dreaded cat’s game (tie game). I hated that! What fun is a game when there is no winner?? With that realization, my Tic-Tac-Toe career came to an abrupt end...
My retirement from Tic-Tac-Toe spanned almost four decades, but it would prove non-permanent… This past summer, as I was going through my math teacher Twitter feed (Yes, I have a Twitter account where I find awesome resources and ideas from math teachers all over the country!), I came across a math teacher blog called “Math With Bad Drawings” by math teacher and blogger Ben Orlin. In the entry that I read, Orlin introduced an amazing Tic-Tac-Toe variant called Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe. The game is played on a board that looks like this:
Orlin does a great job explaining how the game is played, so I’ll let you read about it here.
Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe blew my mind! For a game of “mere” Tic-Tac-Toe, it involves tremendous decision making. You use your critical thinking skills to plan several moves ahead while at the same time using your analytical skills to try to figure out your opponent’s plan. It’s a very deep and intense thinking game while also being a ton of fun. It definitely was not my elementary school version of always-ending-in-a-tie, mindless Tic-Tac-Toe.
Earlier this year, I introduced the game to my 8th grade math students. Many of the kids took to it right away and began playing it obsessively. In this digital age, I loved seeing students excitedly engaging their brains and engaging each other in a way that did not involve screens. It was pretty spectacularly awesome on many fronts.
I am introducing Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe here on Math, Learning, and Love because I believe that it’s a game that even adults would enjoy and benefit from. After all, how often, in the course of daily life, are we given the opportunity to strain our brains in an amusing and social way? Not that often… But that might be changing now that Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe is in your life! So, if you have 15-20 minutes to spare (or even if you don’t), go ahead and challenge your 8th grader (or anyone else!) to a battle of minds with a game of Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe. See if you can beat your 8th grade and who knows, maybe you’ll inadvertently spend some quality time with your teen. Go figure!
So what are you waiting for??? Go play a game of Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe with your kiddo! All the cool parents are doing it!!!
Note: We 8th grade math teachers are strong believers in the great benefits of games, particularly board games. Board games help to build critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, social skills, number sense, and deepen relationships. There’s currently a global board game revival going on. There are scores of games out there that have elegant gameplay, deep strategy, compelling themes, and attractive art. Stay tuned for an upcoming Math, Learning, and Love entry on board games. If you’re impatient, you can read the entry now!
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