Free to play, no sign up
Play Ultimate tic tac toe free
Ultimate tic tac toe puts a 3x3 board inside every square of another 3x3 board. Win a small board and you claim its square on the big one. The twist that makes it great: whichever square you play in sends your opponent to the matching small board on their turn. You are picking your move and their board at the same time.
- Board
- 9x9
- Board
- Goal
- Win 3 boards
- Goal
- Typical game
- 10 to 20 min
- Typical game
- Difficulty
- Heavy
- Difficulty
Move 0
Loading the board
Game review
How to play
How to play Ultimate
- 1
The big board holds nine small boards. Win a small board and that square of the big board becomes yours.
- 2
The square you pick inside a small board sends your opponent to the small board in that same position.
- 3
Get sent to a board that is already won or full and you can play anywhere you like.
- 4
Win three small boards in a row on the big board to take the game.
Strategy
What actually wins games
Think about where you are sending them, not just where you are playing. Winning a small board is a bad deal if it hands them the centre.
Sending someone to a finished board gives them the run of the whole game. Only do it when the trade is clearly worth it.
The centre board shows up in four of the eight big board lines, so it is worth more than any other.
Giving up a small board on purpose is often right if it buys you the tempo to take two better ones.
Can you win it?
Ultimate tic tac toe has never been solved. The position count runs past 10 to the power of 40, which puts it far beyond what anyone has searched.