[Balin] Tic-Tac tactic

[Balin]

Jeremy approaches a child he has never met and asks to play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. After their game, he never sees the child again. Yet for years afterwards, he tells many people about their game. Why?

[Earnest]

approaches a child he has never met --> HCM? HCF? relevant? Were the two monitored?

can we assume they played TTT (tic-tac-toe) with pen and paper? Fingers and earth? Did they play just one match? Relevant? Did any of the two win? Relevant who won? Did something of historical relevance happen? Were the two children famous? Did they become famous? Did the game save one of the two? Did they play in an "unusual moment"? Can we say that the social conditions of the two were the same? Relevant if they could actually play tic tac toe? Were they photographed? Was the other child Albert Einstein and lost with Jeremy? Dd the two communicate through tic tac toe? Signaling relevant? Did they speak the same language? Did they play inside a building? In outside? In an hospital?
Relevant that they played tic tac toe and not another game?

Yet for years afterwards, he tells many people about their game. --> does he tell about the game? About the result of the game? How the match went on? The moves? Or maybe something else more relevant? Assuming that he played also other tic tac toe matches, does he tell also about these games? If not because the relevant one happened in a relevant context?

After their game, he never sees the child again --> relevant the reason why? Did the other child die? If not, did the other child tell the story about their game too?

WAG. --> maybe a German child played tic tac toes with a jew child during Second World War? Maybe the jew child was prisoner in a concentration camp and they played on the floor (i.e. earth) one outside of the camp and one in inside?

[trebor]

Do all "he"s refer to Jeremy? Is Jeremy also a HC? A HAM?

Has Jeremy just invented TTT, and this is the first game? Do he and the child actually play a game of TTT? Do they play another game?

He never sees the child again. Is he blind? Is it a Braille game of TTT? Does he tell people about the game in the context of a humorous story? Did something funny happen during the interaction with the child?

Does Jeremy have any contact with the child after the game over the years?

[Balin]

approaches a child he has never met --> HCM? HCF? Could be either relevant? No Were the two monitored? No

can we assume they played TTT (tic-tac-toe) with pen and paper? Yes Fingers and earth? Did they play just one match? Yes Relevant? No Did any of the two win? Relevant who won? Result is irrel Did something of historical relevance happen? Clarify please Were the two children famous? No, FA - Jeremy is not a child Did they become famous? No Did the game save one of the two? No Did they play in an "unusual moment"? For svv of "unusual"... I'll say Yes Can we say that the social conditions of the two were the same? Yes Relevant if they could actually play tic tac toe? They could and did Were they photographed? No Was the other child Albert Einstein and lost with Jeremy? No Dd the two communicate through tic tac toe? No Signaling relevant? No Did they speak the same language? Yes Did they play inside a building? In outside? Um... they were in a structure, but exposed to the outside In an hospital? No
Relevant that they played tic tac toe and not another game? No

Yet for years afterwards, he tells many people about their game. --> does he tell about the game? Yes About the result of the game? How the match went on? The moves? No to these Or maybe something else more relevant? Yes, see below Assuming that he played also other tic tac toe matches, does he tell also about these games? No If not because the relevant one happened in a relevant context? Yes

After their game, he never sees the child again --> relevant the reason why? No Did the other child die? No If not, did the other child tell the story about their game too? No

WAG. --> maybe a German child played tic tac toes with a jew child during Second World War? No Maybe the jew child was prisoner in a concentration camp and they played on the floor (i.e. earth) one outside of the camp and one in inside? No

Do all "he"s refer to Jeremy? Yes Is Jeremy also a HC? A HAM? This

Has Jeremy just invented TTT, and this is the first game? No Do he and the child actually play a game of TTT? Yes Do they play another game? No

He never sees the child again. Is he blind? No Is it a Braille game of TTT? No Does he tell people about the game in the context of a humorous story? Yope? Did something funny happen during the interaction with the child? No

Does Jeremy have any contact with the child after the game over the years? No

[Earnest]

Can we assume modern times? relevant the work of Jeremy? Doctor? Priest? Driver? Waiter? policeman? Authority? Others? To be sure: were there other children? Relevant the age of the child? can we assume that they were face to face playing and that they could see the face of each other right? Were the two sit on a table? on a wall? in a room? somewhere relevant? Was someone else present when they played? Had he asked the child to play some other game, would the puzzle have worked? Did he ask the child to play in a specific moment? I mean...are there a "before" and "after"?: could he have asked later? Before (e.g. before a relevant event)? Relevant how long did the TTT match last? a specific amount of time? More than 3 minutes? More than a normal TTT match? Much less?
Did the play with X and O symbols? Other symbols? Relevant?

Is technology relevant? Innovative tech? (e.g. the child was an hologram)

Was the child worried when Jeremy approached him? Afraid? Sad? Happy? Not in a particular status? Did Jeremy know that had he not approached him, the child would have been sad/worried/afraid?

relevant the country where it took place? May invoke the list of countries?
Religion relevant? Were there other children in the structure?

Was someone trying to commit suicide? Did Jeremy take time by playing TTT? Distract the child? Was the child alone? With parents? Orphan? Relevant?

If not because the relevant one happened in a relevant context? Yes --> so did something that none of the two expected happen during the game? Or maybe something relevant was happening and Jeremy played TTT with the child because something relevant was happening? Did playing TTT save the children's life? Jeremy's life? Both's lives? Terrorist attack? Someone who went on the space? Berlin Wall relevant? Wars relevant?

[trebor]

Is it relevant what the child was doing before Jeremy approached them? Was anyone relevantly with the child? Are the child's parents relevant?

Does it matter what type of structure they were in? Were they at the child's house? Perhaps on the deck? Were they at the man's place?

[GalFisk]

Was the child in danger? Was he? Did the game defuse a situation? Was it an unusual place to play a game? An unusual place for a child to be?

[Balin]

All unanswered below are "No"

Can we assume modern times? Yes relevant the work of Jeremy? Doctor? Priest? Driver? Waiter? policeman? Authority? Others? To be sure: were there other children? Yes Relevant the age of the child? can we assume that they were face to face playing and that they could see the face of each other right? Yes Were the two sit on a table? on a wall? in a room? For svv of "room" somewhere relevant? Yes Was someone else present when they played? Yes Had he asked the child to play some other game, would the puzzle have worked? Yes Did he ask the child to play in a specific moment? Yes/Yope I mean...are there a "before" and "after"?: could he have asked later? There was a specific time, but it's more of a "during" than "before" or "after" Before (e.g. before a relevant event)? Relevant how long did the TTT match last? a specific amount of time? More than 3 minutes? More than a normal TTT match? Much less? Presume less than a minute - irrel
Did the play with X and O symbols? Yes Other symbols? Relevant? No
Is technology relevant? Innovative tech? (e.g. the child was an hologram)
Was the child worried when Jeremy approached him? Afraid? Sad? Happy? Not in a particular status? Irrel. Assume the child was fine with playing the game Did Jeremy know that had he not approached him, the child would have been sad/worried/afraid?
relevant the country where it took place? Yes May invoke the list of countries? USA
Religion relevant? Were there other children in the structure? Yes
Was someone trying to commit suicide? Did Jeremy take time by playing TTT? Distract the child? Was the child alone? With parents? Assume this Orphan? Relevant? Not really
If not because the relevant one happened in a relevant context? Yes --> so did something that none of the two expected happen during the game? Or maybe something relevant was happening and Jeremy played TTT with the child because something relevant was happening? Yes! Did playing TTT save the children's life? Jeremy's life? Both's lives? Terrorist attack? Someone who went on the space? Berlin Wall relevant? Wars relevant?

Is it relevant what the child was doing before Jeremy approached them? Was anyone relevantly with the child? Are the child's parents relevant? Assume the child's parents were present, but Irrel

Does it matter what type of structure they were in? Yes Were they at the child's house? Perhaps on the deck? Were they at the man's place?

Was the child in danger? Was he? Did the game defuse a situation? Was it an unusual place to play a game? Depends on the game! An unusual place for a child to be?

[Earnest]

Was someone else present when they played? Yes --> did the others look at them? The others did not look something in particular? The others were relevant focused on something else that was happening (something positive? negative? related to the child?)? Did the others belong to a relevant social class? They were common people? They were gathered for an event? They were all parents with children?

Does it matter what type of structure they were in? Yes -->in outside ? inside? Did it happen in a school? Scientific experiments relevant (e.g. the child had been cloned in a laboratory)? In a skyscraper? In a pub? in a restaurant? In an airplane? In a public place? In a museum? in a circus? in a library? in white house? in a cinema? in a place where it is common to find children?

were there other children? Yes --> relevant the reason why Jeremy chose that particular child rather than other children? Maybe because he was special in a sense? Or because it was his birthday? Because something relevant was happening to him and not to others? Something positive? Negative? Uncertain (e.g. an operation)? Something else? Can we say that the child, before the game was played was: happy? sad? afraid? surprised? thrilled? excited? noisy (e.g. they were in a church and the child was crying)? None in particular?

Or maybe something relevant was happening and Jeremy played TTT with the child because something relevant was happening? Yes! --> Twin towers relevant? Did something relevant happen to the child? To his parents? To Jeremy? To the entire world? To the building where they were? To a specific person? To the two (e.g. someone was taking a picture of them that became famous)? Something that remained in history? (e.g. first man on the Moon? A war? a terrorist attack? a murder? hostages that managed to escape a theft? a natural disaster? a Guinness world record?)

Did the child trust Jeremy? Did the parents? Did Jeremy wear a costume?

did the something relevant last the time of the match (i.e. less than a minute)?

Were the parents in a relevant social condition? (e.g. they were poor and could not afford to make a Christmas party to the child)

[GalFisk]

Was it an unusual place to play tic-tac-toe? To play a game with a child? Was it a normal place for a different game? Was it a sports stadium? Did the child also tell people about the game? If so, for the same reason? did thay play it in order to be able to say that they'd played in that location? When Jeremy tells the story, does he mention the child? Tic-tac-toe? If so, as a puchline? Does he tell it in order to mislead? Amuse? Brag?

[Balin]

Was someone else present when they played? Yes --> did the others look at them? No The others did not look something in particular? The others were relevant focused on something else that was happening This (something positive? This negative? related to the child?)? Did the others belong to a relevant social class? No They were common people? Yes They were gathered for an event? Yes They were all parents with children? No

Does it matter what type of structure they were in? Yes -->in outside ? inside? Did it happen in a school? Scientific experiments relevant (e.g. the child had been cloned in a laboratory)? In a skyscraper? In a pub? in a restaurant? In an airplane? In a public place? In a museum? in a circus? in a library? in white house? in a cinema? in a place where it is common to find children? See far below

were there other children? Yes --> relevant the reason why Jeremy chose that particular child rather than other children? No Maybe because he was special in a sense? Or because it was his birthday? Because something relevant was happening to him and not to others? Something positive? Negative? Uncertain (e.g. an operation)? Something else?
Can we say that the child, before the game was played was: happy? Yes, but irrel sad? afraid? surprised? thrilled? excited? noisy (e.g. they were in a church and the child was crying)? None in particular?

Or maybe something relevant was happening and Jeremy played TTT with the child because something relevant was happening? Yes! --> Twin towers relevant? Did something relevant happen to the child? To his parents? To Jeremy? To the entire world? To the building where they were? To a specific person? To the two (e.g. someone was taking a picture of them that became famous)? Something that remained in history? Yes to this, No to rest of this paragraph (e.g. first man on the Moon? A war? a terrorist attack? a murder? hostages that managed to escape a theft? a natural disaster? a Guinness world record?)

Did the child trust Jeremy? Assume Yes Did the parents? Irrel Did Jeremy wear a costume? No

did the something relevant last the time of the match (i.e. less than a minute)? No

Were the parents in a relevant social condition? No - the parents are entirely irrelevant (e.g. they were poor and could not afford to make a Christmas party to the child) No

Was it an unusual place to play tic-tac-toe? Yes To play a game with a child? Yes Was it a normal place for a different game? Yes Was it a sports stadium? Yes! Did the child also tell people about the game? No If so, for the same reason? See prev did thay play it in order to be able to say that they'd played in that location? No, but OTRT! When Jeremy tells the story, does he mention the child? No Tic-tac-toe? No If so, as a punchline? Does he tell it in order to mislead? This, but amusingly Amuse? See prev Brag? See prev also

[Earnest]

Do other people watch at a screen in a stadium? Maybe they have been recorded and played TTT while being under reflectors? Is Super Bowl relevant?
Was there a game? Baseball? Football? Others?

[Balin]

Do other people watch at a screen in a stadium? No Maybe they have been recorded and played TTT while being under reflectors? No Is Super Bowl relevant? No, but OTRT
Was there a game? Yes Baseball? This Football? Others?

[irishelk]

Is Jeremy a baseball player? Is the child?

Are they playing tic-tac-toe on a ball? WAG: Jeremy caught this ball at an important game and kept it for years afterward, and since he played tic-tac-toe on it that becomes part of the story he tells when he shows it off? Or maybe he gives it to the child, but still tells the story?

If not...are Jeremy and the child both spectators at a game? Is Jeremy an employee of the stadium? Are they playing to pass the time during the game? Maybe between innings?

[gregoryuconn]

Was the tic-tac-toe game as part of a between innings contest? Is it a normal game of tic tac toe? Or is it one of those gimmicky games you sometimes see during timeoouts and between innings at sporting events? Like maybe they had to run back and forth to and from the board with giant inflatable letters or something?

[Balin]

Is Jeremy a baseball player? Is the child? Neither

Are they playing tic-tac-toe on a ball? Assume No WAG: Jeremy caught this ball at an important game and kept it for years afterward, and since he played tic-tac-toe on it that becomes part of the story he tells when he shows it off? No Or maybe he gives it to the child, but still tells the story? No

If not...are Jeremy and the child both spectators at a game? Yes Is Jeremy an employee of the stadium? No Are they playing to pass the time during the game? Jeremy's reason isn't just to pass the time Maybe between innings? You can assume this, but not really relevant

Was the tic-tac-toe game as part of a between innings contest? No Is it a normal game of tic tac toe? Yes Or is it one of those gimmicky games you sometimes see during timeoouts and between innings at sporting events? No Like maybe they had to run back and forth to and from the board with giant inflatable letters or something? No

[gregoryuconn]

Scorecards relevant? Keeping score? Did he play it on a scorecard?

[LemonCurry]

Was he caught on a TV camera?

[Balin]

Scorecards relevant? No Keeping score? No Did he play it on a scorecard? Irrel

Was he caught on a TV camera? No

[GalFisk]

Is an especially important baseball match going on? When retelling the story, did he pretend that he participated in the baseball match? Or at least let his audience assume that he did? Is he a comedian?

[Balin]

Is an especially important baseball match going on? Yes! When retelling the story, did he pretend that he participated in the baseball match? Yes! Or at least let his audience assume that he did? And Yes! Is he a comedian? No

Almost there...

[GalFisk]

Relevant who he is? How likely it is that he played baseball? That he participated in that match? Is he physically unable to play baseball? Does he actually play baseball, but not at that level?

[Balin]

Relevant who he is? No How likely it is that he played baseball? Irrel That he participated in that match? Irrel Is he physically unable to play baseball? Assume No Does he actually play baseball, but not at that level? Assume No

[trebor]

Are they at a World Series game? Or the last game at a certain stadium? (The original Yankee Stadium?) So that he could say he played during the World Series, or played at the last game at Stadium X?

[Balin]

Are they at a World Series game? This Or the last game at a certain stadium? (The original Yankee Stadium?) So that he could say he played during the World Series, or played at the last game at Stadium X? The first one, which make this a

****SPOILER****

During a World Series game, Jeremy (a spectator) plays a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with a random child in the stands, just so he can say he competed at the World Series.

Excellent solve!

[gregoryuconn]

Great puzzle! I think I did one once a long time ago about my grandfather randomly bursting out singing while on a tour of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City because the tour guide mentioned they were on the stage and he wanted to be able to say he sang on stage there.

[irishelk]

Nice one.