Printable · 2 players · 15 min
Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe printable.
Nine games of tic-tac-toe inside one big one — and where you play decides where your opponent must play next. It turns a solved children's game into a real strategy game.
Free for home and classroom use. Want all six games? Get the full Paper Games Pack.
How to play
- 01The big board is made of nine small boards. Win three small boards in a row to win the game.
- 02The square you play in sends your opponent to the matching small board: play the top-right square of any board, and they must play in the top-right board.
- 03If that board is already won or full, they may play anywhere. Win a small board with three in a row inside it.
LV.01 Strategy
Play it better.
- Think about where you're sending your opponent, not just where you're playing.
- Sending your opponent to a board that's already decided gives them a free choice — avoid it.
- The centre board is the most valuable; the centre square of each small board sends play there.
- Sometimes losing a small board on purpose is worth it to control where the next move happens.
LV.02 FAQ
Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, answered.
Q1What is Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe?
A tic-tac-toe variant played on a 3 × 3 grid of tic-tac-toe boards, where each move decides which small board the opponent must play in next.
Q2Can a small board be a draw?
Yes. A drawn small board belongs to nobody and can't be part of a winning line.
Q3Who goes first?
X goes first and may play anywhere on the whole board.
LV.03 More
