When my opponent takes the center position, one of the strongest responses is to play in a corner. This gives me maximum flexibility for future moves as I can potentially set up winning lines across the diagonal as well as along the top row and left column. Playing in a corner rather than an edge position provides more strategic options and paths to victory. The top-left corner (0,0) is my choice, though due to board symmetry at this point, any corner would be equally advantageous.