The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

FIVE-WAY TIC-TAC-TOE

TO PLAY FIVE-WAY TIC-TAC-TOE, A SHEET OF GRAPH PAPER IS USED BY
TWO PLAYERS, WHO TRY TO BUILD ROWS OF FIVE "X" OR "O", DEPENDING
ON THE PLAYER'S RESPECTIVE SYMBOL. UNLIKE CONVENTIONAL TIC-TAC-TOE,
IN WHICH A NEW GRID IS DRAWN AFTER A PLAYER (OR CAT) WINS A GAME,
FIVE-WAY KEEPS THE GAME GOING CONSTANTLY: SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY
SPACES, AS SOON AS ONE ROW OF FIVE IS COMPLETED, THE GAME DOES NOT
STOP, BUT CONTINUES, WITH PLAYERS TRYING TO COMPILE AS MANY ROWS AS
POSSIBLE. THE WINNER IS THE ONE WHO BUILDS THE MOST ROWS IN A PRE-
DETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME, OR WITHIN A GIVEN AMOUNT OF SPACE.

Submitter comment: THIS GAME WAS POPULAR TO PLAY BETWEEN (AND DURING) CLASSES AT MY
HIGH-SCHOOL (CEETRAL CATHOLIC IN CANTON, OHIO),
ESPECIALLY DURING A
"FIVE-WAY FAD" IN 1970.
A FEW SIMPLE VARIATIONS OF THE GAME WERE PLAYED, ONE WHICH
ALLOWED ANY NUMBER OF PLAYERS TO PARTICIPATE, BY USING ANOTHER SYM-
BOL, SUCH AS A LETTER; SOMETIMES INITIALS WOULD BE USED FOR EASE IN
IDENTIFICATION, AND RARELY, ROWS WOULD BE DETERMINED BY COLORING IN
BLOCKS WITH A COLORED PEN AT YOUR TURN.

Where learned: OHIO ; MASSILLON

Date learned: 10-00-1973