Downtown Fargo Falls Just Short of Tic-Tac-Toe World Record - but the Community Still Wins Big

Attendees fill Broadway Square for the tic-tac-toe world record attempt on July 29.

Tic STACK Toe’s special event drew more than 100 people to Broadway Square for a world record attempt and the largest Tic STACK Toe tournament yet

FARGO, ND, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Wednesday, July 29, downtown Fargo's Broadway Square filled with more than 100 people for an attempt to break the world record for the most people playing tic-tac-toe at the same time. The current record - 223 simultaneous players, set in Singapore in 2016 - remained unbroken, but organizers say the turnout captured exactly the spirit they were after.

“Any time the community can get together, we thrive as a community when we get challenged with something, whether as complicated as flooding, or as simple as tic-tac-toe, we come together and just have fun with it,” said Rocky Schneider, executive director of the Downtown Community Partnership.

A Record-Setting Tournament, Even Without a Record
Following the world record attempt, the event moved into the largest Tic STACK Toe tournament held to date. Tic STACK Toe is a stacking twist on classic tic-tac-toe invented by retired Fargo entrepreneur Ron Bergan, who was on hand to play a few rounds of his own game against fellow attendees.
Matches were best-of-three, and each round began the same way: a crowd-wide shout of “Tic, STACK, Toe!” Winners advanced to tables closer to the stage, while eliminated players were encouraged to cheer on whoever had knocked them out - turning the tournament into a steady mix of new matchups, conversation, and friendly competition across generations.

The bracket eventually narrowed to three finalists: one adult and a brother-and-sister pair of young players. When the dust settled, the top three finishers each took home a Tic STACK Toe board and a gift card to The Silver Lining Creamery, with the first-place winner earning a gold-colored board. All participants age 14 and under received a free Tic STACK Toe board to take home, and one lucky attendee won a 3D printer from LulzBot in a random prize drawing at the end of the night.
Drekker Brewing served drinks on site, and free lemonade, snacks, and water kept players fueled through the summer heat.

A Full Day for Tic STACK Toe
Tic STACK Toe's connection to TEDxFargo began earlier that day, when Bergan joined the TEDx stage to teach the audience how to play his game.

The evening wrapped up right at 7 p.m., as the tournament gave way to a free concert from David Snyder and Green Light Night, a classic rock cover band, closing out the night in Broadway Square.
Organizers thanked the volunteers from TEDxFargo and Emerging Prairie who helped bring the evening together, and say they're planning to make the world record attempt an annual tradition as part of ongoing efforts to bring people back downtown.

About TEDxFargo
TEDxFargo is an independently organized TED event, operating under license from TED in the spirit of "ideas worth spreading." Curated by Emerging Prairie, TEDxFargo has brought live speakers and TED-style talks to the Fargo-Moorhead community since 2012, spotlighting local ideas and voices alongside the global TEDx platform. TEDxFargo 2026, themed "Charge," was held at Brewhalla in downtown Fargo. Learn more at tedxfargo.com.

About Tic STACK Toe
Tic STACK Toe is a 3D-printed stacking twist on classic tic-tac-toe, invented by retired Fargo entrepreneur Ron Bergan. Designed to be simple enough for players of any age, the game adds a vertical stacking element to traditional tic-tac-toe strategy and can be played in just a couple of minutes. Tic STACK Toe is available at Scheels, Sons of Norway, Minn-Dak Market, and online at ticstacktoe.com.

Ingrid Altenburg
Tick Stack Toe
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