Design an efficient Tic-Tac-Toe engine
Company: Databricks
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: Medium
Interview Round: Onsite
Design a Tic-Tac-Toe engine on an n x n board. Implement move(row, col, player) -> result where result indicates no winner, player1 wins, player2 wins, or invalid move. Achieve O(
1) time per move and O(n) space by maintaining minimal state. Extend the API to support reset() and an optional undo(). Write comprehensive tests for edge cases (repeated moves, out-of-bounds, early wins, and filled board with no winner).
Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's understanding of efficient algorithm design and minimal state management for a Tic-Tac-Toe engine on an n x n board, including constraints such as O(1) time per move and O(n) space.