About Cats and Dogs

Cats and Dogs comes from the Math Games with Bad Drawings book by Ben Orlin. The idea is that cats and dogs don't get along, so you have to keep them apart.

How to Play

• The first player is X, the second is O.
• The goal is to capture as much territory as possible.
• The first person that can't make a move loses the game.
• Players alternate placing their symbol (X or O).
• A valid place to play is anywhere that isn't adjacent to the enemy symbol.
• Diagonals count as adjacent, so X and O cannot even touch diagonally.

The AI

For now, the AI just plays perfectly.

Notes on Optimal Play

I have strongly solved Cats and Dogs. Somewhat disappointingly, it's not too hard for the first player to guarantee a win. Below marks where the first player can go to force a win. If the first player starts off on an L square, then the second player can force a win with perfect play.