"Tic-tac-toe" is a favorite game of both children and adults, firstly, it does not take much time, secondly, it develops logical thinking, and thirdly, it does not require special equipment - just a piece of paper and a pen. The rules are simple: two players take turns filling the cells of the playing field, one with crosses, the other with zeroes; the field in this case can be limited, for example, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, etc. or unlimited. The player who is the first to fill the horizontal, vertical or diagonal row of his field with his pieces wins, the one who builds a continuous line of 5 pieces wins on an unlimited field.
Instructions
Step 1
This game is called "5 in a row", it is more difficult than the usual "tic-tac-toe". From a tactical point of view, the player who plays with crosses should actively attack, since it is he who makes the first move, and the player who plays with noughts should block attacks and try to seize the initiative. You can play it both on an unlimited field and on a 15x15 board, this variety is called gomoku.
Step 2
The main winning tactic in the game "5 in a row" is the construction of "forks", ie. of such intersections, which do not allow the enemy to build fives, in this case, the probability of a winning player is high. However, building a row over 5 is not a win. At the same time, there is one limitation in the rules: the first player puts his piece in the center of the field, and then both players can place their symbols arbitrarily, while the second player can change the color.
Step 3
There is also a highly restricted variety of homoku. It is called Renju. In it, to compensate for the advantage, the player making the first move is prohibited from building 3x3 and 4x4 forks, as well as building more than two forks and creating long chains of pieces. In this case, the opponents' chances are leveled, since the second player can “play for a foul.” A relaxation in the rules of renju is that any of the players can refuse to make the next move if he considers it unprofitable. If both players pass in a row, the game is over and a draw is declared. The game in Renju can last either until one of the players wins, or until a tie, or until the whole board is occupied by stones, which is unlikely, in practice such cases are extremely rare.
