SOS

In a game of SOS, you try to spell the word SOS before your opponent and whoever spells the most words is the winner.

Begin by drawing a square grid of whatever dimension you want. A 6x6 grid is a good size to start with. Players now take turns writing either an S or an O into any square of their choosing. Unlike Tic-Tac-Toe, there is no requirement to use the same letter on your turn. The objective is to spell SOS, either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. If you do, draw a line through it and score a point by making a tally mark on the side of the board. When you score a point, you also must take another turn. Try to complete more SOSs than your opponent. Once the entire board is filled up, the winner is the person who made the most words.

Alternatively, you can use any three letter palindromic word, such as MOM, DAD, LOL, etc

Example SOS game where red is winning by one.

Strategy

To prevent your opponent from scoring a word, try to avoid making two parts of the SOS. This will allow your opponent to score a word and take another turn. In other words, avoid making these moves:

• Placing an O next to an S with a space on the other side of the O.
• Placing an S next to an O with a space on the other side of the O.
• Placing an S one square away from another S, with a space in the middle.

Remember, OSO is not a word, so try to place your opponent into a situation where they have no choice but to spell OSO. This will not give them any points.