The Pawn in Tic-Tac-Chec

The pawn is the trickiest piece to maneuver in Tic-Tac-Chec. Because it acts in the same manner in Tic-Tac-Chec as it does on the average chess board, it can only move forward, and it can only capture diagonal. This makes for a special rule: when the pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it merely turns around - (there is no pawn promotion in Tic-Tac-Chec).

Thus, the pawn becomes a bit of a problem. Once placed a player must work his entire strategy around it, until it gets captured and returned to the pool. The worst thing to do is to set it up to capture an opponent's piece that is in a spot needed to make four-in-a-row. All the opponent needs do is move the piece out of the way and the pawn can never move to the spot.

The pawn should not be committed first or last, perhaps third is best. By this time the fluidity of the board will temporarily dissipate allowing possible formulation of a line. With limited capture ability and limited movement, the best placement is near the middle, but this is not always possible and there are other pieces better situated there. Use the pawn to anchor the line and try not to mask your rook or your bishop; they may be needed to suddenly break up the opponent's line.