
Of those combinations, 255,168 of them are possible winning combinations. For example, did you realize that there are 362,800 unique ways to place Xs and Os into the grid? Tic-tac-toe is interesting to mathematicians, because its small grid and simple game play can be used to teach simple mathematical principles, such as probability. With X going first, players alternate marking the squares with Xs and Os, trying to achieve three marks in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The modern game we know as tic-tac-toe is played on a nine-square grid created by drawing lines to create three horizontal rows and three vertical columns. Historians believe the name derived from the sound the pencil made when it hit the slate. This game is no longer played today, but its name survives nonetheless. Your score was tallied by counting the numbers hit with the pencil. That's when a popular game called either "ticktack" or "tic-tac-toe" was played by blindly throwing a pencil at a slate marked with numbers. However, no markings have ever been found within the grids, leading historians to believe the game was played with movable pieces rather than by making markings, such as Xs and Os.Įxperts believe the name tic-tac-toe came about sometime in the 1800s. In fact, these grids can be found scratched onto all sorts of surfaces around ancient Rome. Terni Lapilli was played on a similar three-by-three grid. While some experts believe the game dates back to the ancient Egyptians, others believe it evolved from an ancient Roman game called Terni Lapilli. No matter what you call it or how you spell it (tick-tack-toe is also acceptable), tic-tac-toe is an ancient game that billions of people have played over the course of history. If you're in the United States, though, you're definitely playing tic-tac-toe! If you're in Canada or Ireland, you might call it Xs and Os. If you live in England, you probably call it noughts and crosses. What are you playing? That depends upon where you live. When she marks an X in the center square, it's game on!

After marking two vertical lines on the paper, she crosses them with two horizontal lines to make a three-by-three grid with nine squares. Your best friend asks you if you want to play a game, and you reply, "Sure!" She grabs a piece of paper and a couple of pencils.
