Reverse tic-tac-toe with ChatGPT-4o

I wanted to play against GPT-o1, the latest GPT, but I got GPT-4o, the earlier version

Since we are playing reverse tic-tac-toe, O, which goes second, has the advantage. I will choose to play X. (See ChatGPT’s discussion at the end where I asked it which player has the advantage.)

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You said:

Can you play reverse tic-tac-toe?

ChatGPT said:

Yes! In reverse tic-tac-toe (or "misère tic-tac-toe"), the goal is to avoid getting three in a row. The rules are the same as regular tic-tac-toe, except you lose if you get three of your marks (X's or O's) in a row.

Do you want to play? You can choose to be X or O.

You said:

I'll be X

ChatGPT said:

Great! You're X, and I'll be O. Here's the empty board:

To make your move, just tell me the number of the position where you want to place your "X". Your turn!

You said:

4

ChatGPT said:

Got it! You placed your X in position 4. Here's the updated board:

My turn! I'll place an O in position 1:

Your move!

You said:

6

ChatGPT said:

Nice move! You placed your X in position 6. Here's the updated board:

I'll place my O in position 9:

This was probably a bad move by ChatGPT.

Your turn!

You said:

7

ChatGPT said:

You've placed your X in position 7. Here's the board now:

I'll place my O in position 2:

The only place O can go without losing is 8.
So I’ll take 8.

Your move!

You said:

8

ChatGPT said:

You placed your X in position 8. Here's the updated board:

At this point, I win!

I'll place my O in position 3:

You managed to avoid getting three X's in a row, but I got three O's! You win because I lose by forming a line of O's.

Good game! Would you like to play again?

You said:

Does X or O have the advantage?

ChatGPT said:

In reverse tic-tac-toe (misère tic-tac-toe), the usual strategies are flipped. While in regular tic-tac-toe, creating opportunities to make three in a row is key to winning, in reverse tic-tac-toe, players aim to avoid creating such opportunities.

Here's how the advantage breaks down:

Advantage Breakdown:

1. The first-move advantage (X) in regular tic-tac-toe usually gives a strategic edge because the player can dictate the game flow. However, in reverse tic-tac-toe, the first player (X) is often at a disadvantage, because they start creating patterns that the second player can exploit to force three in a row.

2. X (first player): X’s biggest challenge is avoiding traps in the midgame. As X plays first, they risk being forced into creating a line of three if they aren't careful.

3. O (second player): O can sometimes have an advantage because they can react to X's moves and try to manipulate X into a position where X is forced to complete a line of three.

Conclusion:

In general, O (second player) tends to have a slight advantage because they can react to the first player's moves. By controlling their responses carefully, O can often set up situations where X is forced into creating a losing line. That said, misère tic-tac-toe is highly strategic, and either player can win with skillful play.

You said:

In our game I played X and I won. Why did you lose?

ChatGPT said:

You won because I (O) was the one to create three in a row! In reverse tic-tac-toe, the goal is to avoid forming a line of three identical marks (either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). The game ends when one player is forced to make a line of three, and that player loses.

Here's what happened in our game:

• On my last turn, I placed an O in position 3, which created a row of three O's along the top row:

Since I, as O, was the one who completed a row of three, I lost, and you won by avoiding that mistake.

In reverse tic-tac-toe, it doesn't matter how many opportunities the other player has for three in a row; the game is lost by the first person who actually completes a row of three, and that’s what happened to me!

You said:

But if O has the advantage why were you not able to force me to lose or to force a tie?

ChatGPT said:

That's a great question! Even though O (the second player) generally has the advantage in reverse tic-tac-toe due to being reactive, the outcome still heavily depends on the specific moves and strategy used during the game. Let's break down why I lost and couldn't force you (X) to lose or at least tie:

Key Factors That Led to My Loss:

1. My early move to position 1:

   • I placed my O in position 1, which didn't set up any immediate traps for you, X. A stronger move might have been focusing on a position that forced you to limit your future options.

2. Lack of pressure on X:

   • In reverse tic-tac-toe, the second player should try to force the first player into a position where they can't help but form a row of three. I failed to put you in a position where you would be forced into completing a line of X's. Instead, my moves allowed you to keep making safe choices.

3. My mistake on move 5:

   • When I placed my O in position 3, I completed a row of three O's. I could have avoided this by placing my O in a different spot, like position 5, which would have kept the board open and avoided the loss condition.

   • This is incorrect. If O moves to position 5, that also creates 3 in a row.

Why I Couldn't Force a Loss or Tie:

• Reverse tic-tac-toe is highly strategic, and small mistakes (especially for the second player) can turn a potential advantage into a loss. I miscalculated, leaving myself vulnerable. Had I played more defensively, I could have kept the game going or trapped you into a losing position.

  Some better tactics would have involved:

  • Filling in neutral spots early (like center or edge spaces) to limit your ability to make non-threatening moves.

  • Forcing moves where the remaining open spaces would have pushed you into a situation where forming a line of three X's was inevitable.

In Summary:

Even though O has the advantage in reverse tic-tac-toe, it still requires careful planning and positioning. I made the mistake of forming a row of three O's, which gave you the victory. With better tactical play, I could have used my position as O to either force you into a losing spot or steer the game toward a tie.

You said:

If we play again, will you do better?

ChatGPT said:

I’ll definitely do my best to improve if we play again! Now that we’ve reviewed the strategy and learned from the last game, I’ll make sure to focus more on creating situations that put pressure on you while avoiding mistakes like creating a row of three for myself.

Would you like to start another round of reverse tic-tac-toe and see how it goes? You can stick with X, and I’ll take O again. Let’s see if I can turn things around!

You’ve hit the Free plan limit for GPT-4o. Responses will use another model until your limit resets after 6:44 PM.