Vanishing Tic-Tac-Toe

Imagine you're playing good old tic-tac-toe, but suddenly, bang! Your pieces start to disappear. It's not just a coincidence. It's our new game, "Disappearing Tic-Tac-Toe"! Here, the rules change, and you have to think not only about how to place your symbols in a row of three. You must also ensure your crosses or noughts don't disappear from the board. Your goal is to line up your pieces faster than your opponent. But be careful because one of your pieces could just disappear at any moment. That can completely change your strategy, and you'll have to think quickly to figure out how to rearrange your pieces.

How to play?

A playing field appears in front of you. You can choose what it will look like! For example, a 3x3 field for a quick match, 4x4 for a more challenging game, or 5x5 for a real battle of wits. Then, you place your pieces as usual in tic-tac-toe. Your goal is to get three, four, or five pieces in a row, depending on the board size. That can be a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. Your opponent is artificial intelligence, and they will also try to build their line. You place your piece, and they place theirs. But here's the interesting part: after a few moves, one of your pieces may suddenly disappear! That means that the line you were about to build may be destroyed. Therefore, you need to think several moves ahead. Where should you place your next piece so that it doesn't disappear? Think about it, develop new tactics, and adapt to such surprises. This game will make you work hard, but it's a lot of fun!