Everyone places X
There are no O marks and no ownership of individual squares. Players alternate adding one X to an empty square on any board that has not yet been closed.
Notakto
Leave the computer with the final playable board after completed lines are closed.
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How to play
Leave the computer with the final playable board after completed lines are closed.
- Place an X in any empty square on an active board.
- A board becomes closed as soon as any row, column, or diagonal contains three X marks.
- The player forced to close the final active board loses.
Strategy tips
- Treat closed boards as removed from the position.
- Center and corner moves change a board's future options differently.
- Plan across all active boards rather than trying to win one board in isolation.
Complete guide
Rules, scoring, and strategy
Notakto is a misère all-X form of Tic-Tac-Toe played here across three boards. Either player may mark any active board, and a board closes when it contains a line of three X marks.
Lines close boards
As soon as an X completes a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, that entire board becomes inactive. Empty squares on a closed board cannot be played later.
The final board is poison
Closing a board is not normally an immediate loss while another active board remains. The player who closes the final active board loses the round, so the goal is to leave that forced move to the opponent.
Plan across board states
Center, corner, and edge openings create different future line threats. Compare all active boards before moving: changing one board may turn another board into the opponent's only safe option.
Questions players ask
Why are there only X marks?
Notakto is defined as an impartial all-X game; both players place the same mark.
Does making three in a row win?
It closes that board. Closing the final active board loses, which reverses the usual Tic-Tac-Toe goal.
Can I play on a closed board?
No. Once a board contains a line, every remaining square on that board is inactive.
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