Traditional game
Tic Tac Toe
Three in a row wins: every child's first strategy game
- 2best with 2
- 1–5 minper game
- Under a minuteto set up
- 5+years
- Very easy
- Nonereading
A well-made set, on Amazon.in
Many brands make this game. We picked one well-made set; check its size and pieces in the listing before you buy.
Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The game in a nutshell
Tic Tac Toe, which most Indian children know as zero kaata or cross and zero, is the two-player game of placing crosses and zeros on a 3x3 grid until someone gets three in a row. It is the best first strategy game for children of about 4 to 8, and a pencil and paper is all you really need. Our link goes to Ratna's 3D Tic Tac Toe set from Mumbai, for families who want pieces to hold, a board for journeys or a small gift.
Is Tic Tac Toe right for you?
Great if
- Children of about 4 to 8 learning their first real strategy: look for your line, and block theirs
- Train journeys, waiting rooms and restaurant tables, because a game takes a minute
- Young children who can't draw an X yet but can place a chunky piece on a square
- Grandparents and little ones, since everyone already knows the rules
Skip it if
- You just want to play: a notebook, a slate or a finger in the sand works just as well
- You want a game older children and adults will keep playing; once both players know the trick, every game is a draw
- Your child is under 3 and still puts things in their mouth; most sets have small pieces
How Tic Tac Toe plays
Set-up: draw or open a 3x3 grid. One player takes crosses (X), the other zeros (O). Crosses usually go first; swap who starts after each game, because going first is an advantage.
- Time to teach: about 1 minute.
- Reading and language: Nothing to read at all. Children learn it by watching, so it works in any language; most Indian families call it zero kaata or cross and zero.
How to WIN at tic-tac-toe - STRATEGY · Math & Logic
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
Your turn, step by step
- 1Place
Put one cross or zero in any empty square of the 3x3 grid.
- 2Block
If your opponent has two in a line with the third square empty, block it now, unless you can win first.
- 3Win
Three of yours in a row, across, down or diagonal, wins. A full board with no line is a draw.
The full explanation: how a game of Tic Tac Toe goes
On your turn, put one of your marks or pieces in any empty square. The first to get three in a row, across, down or corner to corner, wins. If all nine squares fill up with no line, the game is a draw.
Why good players always draw: the board is so small that every threat can be seen and blocked, and with perfect play neither side can force a win. A simple order of thinking never loses: complete your own line if you can; otherwise block theirs; try to make two threats at once (a fork), which can't both be blocked; stop them making a fork; then take the centre, then a corner opposite theirs, then any corner, and only then an edge square.
Two traps worth teaching children: when your opponent starts in a corner, take the centre; when they start in the centre, take a corner, never an edge. And if they hold two opposite corners while you hold the centre, play an edge square next, not a corner, or they get a fork. When your child draws every game, they have learned it.
Variants children enjoy, all just ideas to try: 3D tic tac toe on three stacked 3x3 grids (it's lopsided, because whoever starts can win by taking the very centre, so older children may prefer a bigger 4x4x4 cube); ultimate tic tac toe, nine small boards in a big grid, where the square you play in sends your opponent to the matching small board; size-stacking sets in the style of Blue Orange Games' Gobblet Gobblers, where bigger pieces can cover smaller ones; and India's own Tant Fant, where each player has just three pieces and moves them along the lines instead of adding new ones.
What's in the box
- 1Playing board
plastic, about 12.7 cm square, with a peg in each of the nine squares; board colours vary - 5Cross (X) pieces
chunky yellow crosses that slot over the pegs - 4Zero (O) pieces
blue rings that slot over the pegs
From the maker's photos of this Ratna's set on an Indian store's listing: a plastic board about 12.7 cm square with a peg in each square, and raised crosses and zeros that slot over the pegs. A full board in those photos shows five crosses and four zeros. Ratna's doesn't publish a contents list, so check the count when the box arrives.
Where to buy
A well-made set, on Amazon.in
Many brands make this game. We picked one well-made set; check its size and pieces in the listing before you buy.
Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.
No one owns tic tac toe, so you're choosing a well-made set, not a brand, and paper works just as well for the game itself. Our Amazon.in button goes to Ratna's 3D Tic Tac Toe from Prem Ratna Toys in Mumbai, an Indian toy maker. Imported wooden or designer sets look smarter on a coffee table, but the game is exactly the same.
How to pick a good setWhat to check in the listing before you buy.
- Know what you're buying: '3D' can mean raised cross and zero pieces on an ordinary 3x3 board, three stacked grids, or a size-stacking 'gobble' game. Check the photos and the piece list.
- Pieces: a classic game needs at least five crosses and four zeros, so look for five of each. For children under 5, choose big, chunky pieces they can grip and can't swallow.
- Safety: look for the ISI mark and a BIS licence number (CM/L- followed by digits) on the box. Under India's Toys (Quality Control) Order, toys sold in India must carry it since 1 January 2021. Small pieces are a choking hazard for children under 3; most boxes carry that warning.
- Wood: a smooth, sanded finish with no splinters or rough edges, and paint that doesn't flake. Plastic: thick, firm pieces without sharp moulding edges.
- Board: squares with grooves or holes keep pieces in place in a moving train or car, and the pieces should sit flat and not tip over.
- Storage: a drawer, a lidded box or pegs that keep the pieces with the board; loose pieces vanish fast in a house with small children.
We link to one well-made set from a maker we could identify; other good sets exist. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
What reviewers and players say
Tic tac toe isn't a game people review; it's one they grow up with, scratched on the back of notebooks and on dusty train windows. Parents and teachers value it as a child's first taste of strategy: look ahead one move, spot a threat, block it. The common complaint is the flip side of that: once both players know the method, every game is a draw, which is why mathematics writers and puzzle fans keep inventing variants such as ultimate tic tac toe and 3D versions. A physical set adds nothing to the rules; it earns its place with toddlers, on journeys and as a small gift.
What people love
- Anyone can learn it in a minute, in any language
- It teaches children to look ahead and to block, the root of all strategy games
- A game takes a minute, so it fits into any wait
- Variants like ultimate and 3D tic tac toe keep it fresh for older children
Common complaints
- Between two experienced players, every game is a draw
- Whoever starts has an edge, so you need to swap first turns
- A set isn't needed to play; paper does the same job
Based on 5 reviews and discussions
- Reference Tic-tac-toe · Wikipedia
- Reference Tic-Tac-Toe (Eric W. Weisstein) · Wolfram MathWorld
- Review Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe (Ben Orlin, June 2013) · Math with Bad Drawings
- Players Ultimate Tic Tac Toe (discussion of the post above, June 2013) · Hacker News
- Reference 3D tic-tac-toe · Wikipedia
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
More like Tic Tac Toe
Our picks if Tic Tac Toe isn't quite right
| Feature |
Tic Tac Toe |
Connect 4 |
Strike 4 |
Othello |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Best with | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Play time | 1–5 min | 5–15 min | 5–15 min | 15–30 min |
| Age | 5+ | 6+ | 6+ | 8+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Why look at it | This page | The natural next step: four in a row with gravity, and children can win it | Funskool's made-in-India four-in-a-row game | Another quick two-player abstract game, with far more depth |
More from Ratna's
More pure strategy games
See all
Blokus
Fit your pieces on the board, corners only, and box others out
Connect 4
Drop discs, block your rival and get four in a row
Othello
Trap a line of discs, flip them to your colour
Strike 4
Drop discs, block your rival and line up four first
Quoridor
Race your pawn across the board while walls rise in your way
Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Triggle – A no-luck pattern game where you claim triangles instead of lines; Gobblet Gobblers – Tic tac toe with nesting pieces, so games don't end in a draw.
Questions people ask about Tic Tac Toe
Is tic tac toe always a draw?
Yes, if both players make no mistakes. The game has been fully worked out: with perfect play neither side can force a win. Games are only won when someone misses a threat or walks into a fork, which is why children win often and adults rarely.
What is the best first move in tic tac toe?
A corner or the centre. Starting in a corner leaves your opponent the fewest safe replies, and their only good answer is the centre. Against a beginner, the centre is a strong start too. An edge square is the weakest opening.
What is tic tac toe called in India?
Most Indian families call it zero kaata (zero-cross) or cross and zero, and children often write it XOXO. Indian English also uses the British name, noughts and crosses. The American name tic tac toe is what you'll see on most boxes.
What is 3D tic tac toe?
Usually one of three things. On sets like the Ratna's one we link, it just means chunky raised pieces on an ordinary 3x3 board. The classic 3D game stacks three 3x3 grids into a cube and you can win along any line through it; the first player wins easily, and even banning the centre doesn't make it fair, so the bigger 4x4x4 version (sold as Qubic from 1964) is more fun. And many sets sold in India as 3D tic tac toe are size-stacking 'gobble' games, where bigger pieces cover smaller ones.
What age is tic tac toe for?
Children can start at about 4, as soon as they can spot three in a row, and most enjoy it until 7 or 8, when they learn to draw every game. Under 3s shouldn't play with sets that have small pieces.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Ratna's (Prem Ratna Toys, Mumbai)
- In India
- Prem Ratna Toys, Mumbai (maker of Ratna's games)
- Players
- 2
- Language
- No reading – Nothing to read at all. Children learn it by watching, so it works in any language; most Indian families call it zero kaata or cross and zero.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Tic-tac-toe - Wikipedia
- 3D tic-tac-toe - Wikipedia
- Ultimate tic-tac-toe - Wikipedia
- Gobblet - Wikipedia
- Tant Fant - Wikipedia
- Tic-Tac-Toe - Wolfram MathWorld (Eric W. Weisstein)
- Toycra - Ratna's Shut The Box (maker details for Ratna's: Prem Ratna Toys, Mumbai)
- BigBasket - Ratnas 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Board Game
- FirstCry - Ratnas 3D Tic Tac Stack Game (a separate Ratna's stacking game)
- Toycra - IToys Play Box 2in1 Tic Tac Gobble ('a modern, 3D version of classic Tic-Tac-Toe')
- Bureau of Indian Standards - Indian Standards on Toys: ensuring your child's safety (April 2023)