"It's a tie," Inez announces.
You squint up at her. "You can't know that after only two moves."
"But I can," she says. "Watch this." She takes her pen back and adds an X in Square h:
"I now have two in a row, so you have no choice but to block me by putting an O in Square b." She doesn't wait for you to do it, entering the letter herself:
"…which forces me to put an X in Square c:
"What follows is a cascade of blocking moves, each one forcing the next. You take Square g:
"… which forces me to take Square d:
"… so you have to take Square f.
"At this point, every horizontal, vertical, and diagonal in the grid has at least one X and one O. It's impossible for either of us to win."
You've been watching her closely as she plays out the game, but she's right. All the moves after her second X were automatic. Inevitable.
"Now let's start over. Put your O in Square b instead:"
