Figure 8 shows the same start as Figure 7. But if player 1 chooses to put the second X as shown in Figure 8, then player 2 must not place the second O in any remaining corner; otherwise, he or she will lose when player 1 puts the third X in the center. If player 2 is equally likely to place a second O in any one of the six remaining squares, then the probability that he or she loses at this stage is 3/6 = .5 .