Tic Tac Toe Part 2
Given that playing tic tac toe on a by board would guarantee the starting player to win, find the smallest value of .
Details and assumptions
You win when you get 3 in a line.
Assume that both players play intelligently.
The answer is 4.
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Why is the solution not 4? How can the second player counter a move by the first on one of the middle squares? The first player can always get two in a row with both ends open in two moves, which means he can get 3 in a row in 3 moves.