presents a board with 9 spaces and allows you to move up, down, left, right. Still teaching myself python.

MovingO.py

a1 = "-"
a2 = "-"
a3 = "-"
b1 = "-"
b2 = "-"
b3 = "-"
c1 = "-"
c2 = "-"
c3 = "-"
up = "up"
down = "down"
left = "left"
right = "right"
print("""a1 a2 a3
b1 b2 b3
c1 c2 c3""")
print()
def printboard(a,aa,aaa,b,bb,bbb,c,cc,ccc):
	print(a,end=" ")
	print(aa,end=" ")
	print(aaa)
	print(b,end=" ")
	print(bb,end=" ")
	print(bbb)
	print(c,end=" ")
	print(cc,end=" ")
	print(ccc,end=" ")
while True:
	start = input("Select your starting position: ")
	if start == "a1":
		a1 = "o"
	elif start == "a2":
		a2 = "o"
	elif start == "a3":
		a3 = "o"
	elif start == "b1":
		b1 = "o"
	elif start == "b2":
		b2 = "o"
	elif start == "b3":
		b3 = "o"
	elif start == "c1":
		c1 = "o"
	elif start == "c2":
		c2= "o"
	elif start == "c3":
		c3 = "o"
	else:
		print("Must enter valid position.")
		continue
	break
throw = False
while True:
	print("This is the board:")
	print()
	printboard(a1,a2,a3,b1,b2,b3,c1,c2,c3)
	print()
	choice = input("""Would you like to go up, down, left, or right?
ANSWER: """)
	if start == "a1" and choice == "up":
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move up from a1, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "a1" and choice == "down":
		start = "b1"
		a1 = "-"
		b1 = "o"
	elif start == "a1" and choice == "left":
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move left from a1, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "a1" and choice == "right":
		start = "a2"
		a1 = "-"
		a2 = "o"
	elif start == "a2" and choice == "up":
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move up from a2, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "a2" and choice == down:
		start = "b2"
		a2 = "-"
		b2 = "o"
	elif start == "a2" and choice == left:
		start = "a1"
		a2 = "-"
		a1 = "o"
	elif start == "a2" and choice == right:
		start = "a3"
		a2 = "-"
		a3 = "o"
	elif start =="a3" and choice == up:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move up from a3, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "a3" and choice == down:
		start = "b3"
		a3 = "-"
		b3 = "o"
	elif start == "a3" and choice == left:
		start = "a2"
		a3 ="-"
		a2 = "o"
	elif start == "a3" and choice == right:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move right from a3, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start =="b1" and choice == up:
		start = "a1"
		b1 = "-"
		a1 = "o"
	elif start == "b1" and choice == down:
		start ="c1"
		b1 = "-"
		c1 = "o"
	elif start == "b1" and choice == left:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move left from b1, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "b1" and choice == right:
		start = "b2"
		b1 = "-"
		b2 = "o"
	elif start == "b2" and choice == up:
		start = "a2"
		b2 = "-"
		a2 ="o"
	elif start == "b2" and choice == down:
		start = "c2"
		b2 = "-"
		c2 = "o"
	elif start == "b2" and choice == left:
		start = "b1"
		b2 = "-"
		b1 = "o"
	elif start == "b2" and choice == right:
		start = "b3"
		b2 = "-"
		b3 = "o"
	elif start == "b3" and choice == up:
		start = "a3"
		b3 = "-"
		a3 = "o"
	elif start == "b3" and choice == down:
		start = "c3"
		b3 = "-"
		c3 ="o"
	elif start == "b3" and choice == left:
		start = "b2"
		b3 = "-"
		b2 = "o"
	elif start == "b3" and choice == right:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move right from b3, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "c1" and choice == up:
		start ="b1"
		c1 = "-"
		b1 = "o"
	elif start == "c1" and choice == down:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move down from c1, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "c1" and choice == left:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move left from c1, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "c1" and choice == right:
		start = "c2"
		c1 = "-"
		c2 = "o"
	elif start == "c2" and choice == up:
		start ="b2"
		c2 = "-"
		b2 = "o"
	elif start == "c2" and choice == down:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move down from c2, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start =="c2" and choice == left:
		start = "c1"
		c2 ="-"
		c1 = "o"
	elif start == "c2" and choice == right:
		start = "c3"
		c2 = "-"
		c3 ="o"
	elif start =="c3" and choice == up:
		start ="b3"
		c3 = "-"
		b3 ="o"
	elif start == "c3" and choice == down:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move down from c3, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	elif start == "c3" and choice == left:
		start = "c2"
		c3 = "-"
		c2 = "o"
	elif start =="c3" and choice == right:
		if throw == True:
			print("You were warned that you may not move off the board, and you have now fallen off the board.")
			input("""What do you have to say for yourself? 
ANSWER: """)
			break
		else:
			pass
		print("You may not move right from c4, as that would throw you off the board. Take care not to make any moves that would throw you off the board.")
		throw = True
		continue
	else:
		print("It appears you have given an invalid command. This program responds only to up, down, left, or right.")
	print()