Tic Tac Toe Tournament

Tic Tac Toe Tournament turns the paper-and-pencil classic into a proper competition for 2 to 5 players on one device. Add everyone's names, pass the screen around, and the game runs the schedule, keeps the standings and crowns a champion. It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account.

How to play

1. Add 2 to 5 players. Each one gets a name (up to 20 characters) and a crayon colour for their marks, then press Start Tournament.
2. The tournament opens with a round robin, where every player meets every other player once. Each meeting is a match, and the game tells you whose turn it is.
3. Players take turns tapping or clicking a square on the three-by-three grid. Three marks in a row, column or diagonal wins the game.
4. A match is first to two game wins. The loser of a game plays X in the next one. If nobody has two wins after seven games, whoever is ahead takes the match.
5. When the round robin ends, the standings decide the playoffs. Four players play seed 1 against seed 4 and seed 2 against seed 3, then the winners meet in the final. With three players, seed 1 skips straight to the final and plays the winner of seeds 2 and 3. With five, seed 1 gets a bye through to the final while seeds 2 to 5 play it out. With two players, the round robin winner is the champion.

Tips

• Take the centre if you can, then a corner. A first move in the centre or a corner is much harder to beat than an edge.
• If you are second to move and your opponent opens in a corner, take the centre. Anything else gives them a chance to build a double threat.
• Seeding matters. A strong round robin earns an easier playoff draw, and in a 3 or 5 player tournament the top seed skips a round entirely.

Questions

Is it free? Yes. There is nothing to buy and no sign-up.

Can I play against the computer? No. It is built for people sharing one device, such as at a game night or in a classroom.

Does it save my tournament? Yes. Progress is saved in your browser, so if you close the tab the game offers to resume the unfinished tournament the next time you open it.

Does it work on a phone? Yes. The grid and buttons are sized for touch, and it works on screens as small as a basic phone.