Tic-Tac-Toe Solver

A sophisticated tic-tac-toe game with AI solver capabilities, supporting customizable board sizes, win conditions, and both regular and misère game modes. Features both a modern web interface and command-line interface.

Features

• Customizable Game Settings

  • Variable board dimensions (3x3 to 10x10)
  • Adjustable win condition (3 to 10 in a row)
  • Regular and Misère game modes

• AI Solver

  • Minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning
  • Configurable search depth
  • Specialized misère mode strategy
  • Optimal play for standard 3x3 boards

• Dual Interface

  • Modern responsive web UI
  • Command-line interface for terminal use

• Game Features

  • Move history with undo functionality
  • Game restart capability
  • Real-time game state updates

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd tic-tac-toe-solver

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Web Interface

1. Start the web server:

uvicorn app:app --reload

2. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000

3. Configure your game settings:

   • Height/Width: Board dimensions (3-10)
   • Win: Number in a row needed to win (3-10)
   • Misère Mode: Check to enable misère rules (lose by getting a line)

4. Click "Start New Game" and begin playing!

Web Interface Controls

• Click cells to make moves
• Computer Move: Let the AI make the next move
• Undo: Revert the last move
• Restart: Start over with same settings
• Depth: Adjust AI thinking depth (1-10)

Command Line Interface

Run the command-line version:

python main.py

Follow the interactive prompts to:

• Choose between regular and misère modes
• Set board dimensions and win conditions
• Make moves or request AI moves
• Undo moves and restart games

Game Modes

Regular Mode

Standard tic-tac-toe rules - first player to get the required number in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins.

Misère Mode

Reverse tic-tac-toe - the player who is forced to complete a line loses. This creates a completely different strategic game where you want to avoid winning lines while forcing your opponent into them.

AI Strategy

Regular Mode

• Uses minimax with alpha-beta pruning
• Evaluates positions based on potential winning lines
• Prioritizes center control on 3x3 boards
• Searches to full depth on 3x3 for perfect play

Misère Mode

• Specialized evaluation function that avoids creating wins
• Strategic opening play (center control for X on 3x3)
• Mirror strategy implementation
• Careful endgame analysis to force opponent losses

Technical Details

Architecture

• Backend: FastAPI web framework
• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript with modern CSS
• Game Logic: Pure Python implementation
• AI: Minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning

Files Structure

• main.py: Core game logic and CLI interface
• app.py: FastAPI web server and API endpoints
• index.html: Web interface structure
• styles.css: Modern responsive styling
• script.js: Frontend game interaction logic
• requirements.txt: Python dependencies

API Endpoints

• GET /: Serve web interface
• POST /start: Initialize new game
• POST /move: Make a move
• POST /undo: Undo last move
• POST /restart: Restart current game
• GET /get_ai_move: Get AI move for regular mode
• GET /get_misere_ai_move: Get AI move for misère mode
• GET /state: Get current game state

Performance Notes

• 3x3 Regular: AI plays optimally (searches full game tree)
• Larger Boards: Configurable depth limiting for reasonable response times
• Misère Mode: Additional strategic considerations may require deeper search

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests! Areas for potential improvement:

• Additional AI difficulty levels
• Tournament mode for multiple games
• Move suggestion highlighting
• Game analysis and statistics
• Network multiplayer support

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

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Enjoy playing and exploring the strategic depths of tic-tac-toe and its misère variant!