I notice that my opponent has placed Xs in the center (1,1) and bottom-middle (2,1) positions, creating a potential vertical win opportunity. I need to block position 0,1 immediately to prevent them from winning in their next move.

Additionally, by placing my O at 0,1, I'm starting to build a potential horizontal win across the top row, since I already have an O at 0,0. This creates two potential paths to victory for me: completing the top row with a future move at 0,2, or developing the left column with moves at 1,0 and 2,0. Playing at 0,1 serves both defensive and offensive purposes.