Tic Tac Blitz

Objective

Be the first to get four of your marks in a row — across, down or diagonally — on a 6×6 board. That wins the round. Win three rounds to win the match.

There are no turns. Both players act at the same time, as fast as their charge allows, and each round lasts 45 seconds. If nobody completes a line before the clock runs out, the round goes to whoever is closer to one (see Time Running Out).

X takes the round with a diagonal of four. X has now won three rounds to O's one — the match.

A match is short: most rounds end in a line well before the clock, and a whole match takes a few minutes. If rounds keep ending level, the match stops after seven rounds and the player with more round wins takes it; equal round wins is a drawn match.

The Board and Your Marks

The board is a 6×6 grid. One player places X, the other O. Each player's panel beside the board shows their mark inside a charge ring, their round wins as three pips, and how many marks they have on the board.

Your Charge

Every action — placing a mark or knocking one out — empties your charge. The ring refills in under half a second after you place a mark, and turns gold when it's full. You can act again the moment it is.

Marks Take Time to Set

A new mark isn't safe straight away. It takes 1.6 seconds to set, shown by a ring filling around it. While the ring is filling, your opponent can knock the mark out. Once the ring is full, the mark is set: solid, and there for the rest of the round (unless a powerup removes it).

The X and O at the top have set. The two marks below are still setting, their rings a little under half full.

Placing Marks and Winning a Round

Select any empty square to place your mark there, whenever your charge is full. Both players do this at the same time, so the board fills fast.

A line of four only wins once all four marks have set. Completing the line isn't enough: the last mark still has to survive its 1.6 seconds of setting. The moment it sets, the round is yours.

X has four in a row across the second row, but the fourth mark is still setting. If it sets, X wins the round — unless O knocks it out first.

Because every mark has to set, the winning mark is almost never the one you just placed. Strong players build lines out of marks that have already set, so only the last one is at risk.

Knock-Outs and Craters

Select one of your opponent's marks while it's still setting to knock it out. The mark is removed and the square becomes a crater: nobody can place there for 2 seconds. Marks that have already set can't be knocked out.

A knock-out costs a full charge, just like placing a mark, and it takes longer to recharge from: about 0.7 seconds instead of under half a second. Every knock-out is a placement you didn't make, so save them for the marks that matter.

Playing O: X's fourth mark is still setting, so it shows a target — select it to stop the line. The hatched square is a crater left by an earlier knock-out.

When to Knock Out

• Always knock out the last mark of a line of four, if it hasn't set yet.
• Knock out a mark that would give your opponent three in a row with room for a fourth — that's the line that wins next.
• Leave lone marks alone. Your charge is usually better spent building your own line.

The Eight-Mark Limit

You can have at most eight marks on the board. When you place a ninth, your oldest mark disappears. The mark that will go next is drawn faded, so you always know which one it is.

The limit keeps the board moving: you can't simply fill it and wait. Before you place a ninth mark, check whether your oldest one is holding up a line you need.

X has eight marks on the board. The faded one in the top-left corner is the oldest: the moment X places a ninth, it disappears.

Powerups

Glowing powerup squares appear every few seconds, with up to two on the board at once. Each one burns out after about six seconds — the ring around it shows how long is left. Claim a powerup by placing a mark on it: it triggers immediately, and your mark stays there like any other.

Powerup	What it does
Bomb	Removes every opponent mark touching that square — set or not.
Freeze	Your opponent recharges 2.5× slower for 3 seconds.
Haste	You recharge twice as fast for 4 seconds.
Swap	Steals up to two opponent marks touching that square, set marks first.

Bomb

The bomb is the only way to clear marks that have already set. Here a bomb sits beside four O marks: if X claims it, all four go.

Swap

Stolen marks become yours, but they start setting again — so a swap can never complete a line on its own. Your opponent always gets a moment to knock a stolen mark out.

X has just claimed a swap: the O beside it and the O below it are now X's, setting again. X has four in a row across the second row — but O still has a moment to knock one of them out.

Freeze and Haste

Freeze and haste change how fast the charge rings refill. A frozen ring turns slate blue; a hasted player's panel shows a lightning bolt. Three seconds of freeze is a long time in Tic Tac Blitz: it's often enough to set a whole line before your opponent can answer.

O is frozen: its charge ring refills two and a half times slower until the snowflake goes.

Time Running Out

Each round lasts 45 seconds; the bar along the top of the board shows how long is left. If nobody completes a line in time, the round goes to the player with the longest line that isn't blocked.

For each player, take every stretch of four squares in a row, column or diagonal that holds none of the opponent's marks, and count the player's own marks in it. The best stretch is that player's score. The higher score wins the round; equal scores make the round a draw.

Only marks that have set count — for both players. A mark dropped in the last second won't have set by the bell, so it can neither lengthen your line nor block your opponent's.

Time is up: X's top row is three marks in a stretch with room for a fourth, so X scores 3. O's best open stretch holds two marks. X takes the round.

Strategy

Build From Set Marks

A line wins only when its last mark sets, and only marks that are still setting can be knocked out. So build lines out of marks that have already set: when three of your four are safe, your opponent has exactly one mark to stop — and you can make them stop it again and again.

Make More Threats Than They Can Answer

Your opponent's charge refills no faster than yours, and a knock-out is slower to recover from than a placement. If you have two or more squares that would each complete a line, keep dropping marks into them: every one has to be knocked out, and eventually one sets.

X's set marks make four different lines that are one mark from four. O can't block them all at once, and has to knock out every X that lands in time.

Spend Knock-Outs Wisely

Knock out the marks that complete or nearly complete a line, and let the rest go. A knock-out on a lone mark costs you more charge time than your opponent spent placing it.

Block With Set Marks

A set mark of yours inside your opponent's line blocks it for good. Placing a mark in their gap is often better than knocking their marks out one by one — and it counts for you if time runs out.

Grab the Right Powerups

• A freeze or haste is strongest when you're one or two marks from a line.
• A bomb is worth a detour when it touches two or more of your opponent's set marks.
• A swap next to set marks can turn your opponent's line into yours — but remember the stolen marks have to set again.

Watch Your Eighth Mark

At eight marks, every new mark removes your oldest. Before you place a ninth, check the faded mark: if it's part of your best line, use your charge to knock something out instead.