What Is the Best First Move in Tic Tac Toe
August 8, 2026 · TicTacToe.now
- The best first move in tic tac toe is the center square - No other opening gives you more ways to win.
- A corner opening is the strong second choice and can set up sneaky forks later.
- An edge opening is the weakest start because it only touches two winning lines instead of three or four.
- The best opening only matters if you keep playing well after it - One good move doesn't win the game by itself.
The Fast Answer: Take the Center
The Short Answer
If you're going first, play the center square. It's the strongest opening move in tic tac toe by a clear margin. The center sits on four different winning lines - A row, a column, and both diagonals. No other square gives you that many ways to build a threat.
Why You Still Need the Rest of This Page
That's the short version. But "best" doesn't mean "only." Corners and edges behave very differently from each other. Knowing what each one leads to will make you a much better player. Memorizing one rule only gets you so far.
This question gets asked so often because the answer feels obvious. It mostly is. But the reasons behind it are worth understanding, not just memorizing. Once you know why the center wins more often, you'll start judging every other square on the board the same way. New to the game? Our rules page covers the basics first.
Why the Center Wins More Often
Counting the Winning Lines
A square's value in tic tac toe comes down to one thing: how many winning lines run through it. A winning line is any row, column, or diagonal that can complete three in a row.
- Center: touches 4 winning lines (1 row, 1 column, 2 diagonals)
- Corner: touches 3 winning lines (1 row, 1 column, 1 diagonal)
- Edge: touches 2 winning lines (1 row, 1 column, 0 diagonals)
More lines means more chances to build a double threat later. That double threat is exactly what a fork needs to happen.
Setting Up the Pressure
Taking the center first also puts pressure on your opponent right away. They have to respond carefully. Almost any careless reply gives you a head start on a fork two or three moves later.
Opening in a Corner: The Strong Runner-Up
How a Corner Opening Works
A corner is the second-best opening, and in some ways the sneakiest. Corners sit on three lines each. If your opponent doesn't answer with the center, you can often build a fork out of two corners plus the middle square.
Building the Trap, Step by Step
- Play any corner as your first move.
- If your opponent replies with an edge instead of the center, play the opposite corner.
- You now have two ways to complete a line next turn - A fork your opponent can't block both halves of at once.
When the Trap Falls Short
The catch is that a corner opening only works this well if your opponent slips up. Against someone who knows to answer a corner with the center, the trap gets shut down before it starts. The game settles into an even fight instead.
Opening on an Edge: Why It Falls Behind
Just Two Winning Lines
An edge square is the middle of any side, not a corner. It's the weakest opening. It only sits on two winning lines, a row and a column, with no diagonal running through it at all. That's fewer chances to build anything.
Edge openings aren't a losing move. Remember, with correct play the whole game still ends in a draw either way. They're just a much harder road. You're giving up options for no real benefit. Against any decent opponent, you won't get much back for the trade.
Why Beginners Pick It Anyway
New players sometimes stumble into an edge opening simply because the center and corners feel "taken" by strategy guides. The edge feels like the neutral, safe choice. It isn't. Safe and weak aren't the same thing. An edge opening is weak because it touches so little of the board's real action.
Comparing All Three Openings at a Glance
The Numbers Side by Side
Here's how the three opening choices stack up against each other:
| Opening square | Winning lines it touches | Typical outcome vs. a decent player |
|---|---|---|
| Center | 4 | Best control, hardest to punish |
| Corner | 3 | Strong, with fork chances if O misplays |
| Edge | 2 | Weakest, gives up options for nothing |
What Changes Against a Real Opponent
Against a perfect opponent, all three still end in a draw if you keep playing correctly afterward. See our math page for the full breakdown of how those games play out. But against a normal human opponent, the center wins and draws far more often than an edge ever will.
The Best First Move Is Still Just a Start
The Real Skill Is in Moves Two Through Four
Picking the center is the easy part. It takes one second and a bit of memorized advice. The real skill in tic tac toe shows up on moves two, three, and four. That's where you have to read the board instead of following a rule. Our full strategy guide picks up exactly where this page leaves off.
Put It to the Test
So take the center, sure. But don't expect it to win the game by itself. Test it out on Medium mode and see how much further good follow-up moves take you than the opening ever could alone.