I need to block my opponent's immediate win threat in the top row. The opponent has two O's at positions 0,0 and 0,2, with position 0,1 empty. If I don't block at 0,1, they will win on their next move. Additionally, this move develops a potential winning strategy for me in column 1, where I already have an X in the center (1,1). With this move, I'll need just one more X at position 2,1 to win. Blocking the immediate threat while creating my own winning path is the optimal play here.