832: Tic-Tac-Toe

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Tic-Tac-Toe

Title text: The only winning move is to play, perfectly, waiting for your opponent to make a mistake.

Explanation

Each map shows every possible combination of moves which will result in that side winning. It assumes that X moves first, which is why the map for O has more possible move combinations and, therefore, more subdivisions. The title text is a reference to the 1984 movie WarGames. In that movie, the AI concludes that the only way to win at Tic-Tac-Toe is not to play (since perfect strategy always produces a tie.)

Transcript

(The comic comprises two large square maps, each divided into nine sections, some of which are further subdivided in the same way. The subdivisions continue down for up to five levels, and the lower map has more tiny diagrams than the upper. The smallest divisions at every scale are completed tic-tac-toe games.)

[Explanatory text:]

Complete map of optimal Tic-Tac-Toe moves

Your move is given by the position of the largest red symbol on the grid. When your opponent picks a move, zoom in on the region of the grid where they went. :Repeat.

Map for X:

(The first square map)

Map for O:

(The second square map)

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