Related papers: Cookie Monster Plays Games
Given a set of integers $S = \{k_1,\ k_2,...,\ k_n\}$, the Cookie Monster Problem is the problem of making all elements of the set equal 0 in the minimum number of moves. Consider the analogy of cookie jars with distinct numbers of cookies,…
Combinatorial games lead to several interesting, clean problems in algorithms and complexity theory, many of which remain open. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the area to encourage further research. In particular, we…
In this paper, we consider combinatorial game rulesets based on data structures normally covered in an undergraduate Computer Science Data Structures course: arrays, stacks, queues, priority queues, sets, linked lists, and binary trees. We…
We begin by reviewing and proving the basic facts of combinatorial game theory. We then consider scoring games (also known as Milnor games or positional games), focusing on the "fixed-length" games for which all sequences of play terminate…
Circular Nim is a two-player impartial combinatorial game consisting of $n$ stacks of tokens placed in a circle. A move consists of choosing $k$ consecutive stacks and taking at least one token from one or more of the stacks. The last…
Given an impartial combinatorial game G, we create a class of related games (CIS-G) by specifying a finite set of positions in G and forbidding players from moving to those positions (leaving all other game rules unchanged). Such…
Partially-ordered set games, also called poset games, are a class of two-player combinatorial games. The playing field consists of a set of elements, some of which are greater than other elements. Two players take turns removing an element…
Combinatorial Game Theory has also been called `additive game theory', whenever the analysis involves sums of independent game components. Such {\em disjunctive sums} invoke comparison between games, which allows abstract values to be…
We modify Wythoff's game by allowing an additional move, which we call a "split", and show how the $P$-positions are coded by the Tribonacci word. We analyze the table of letter positions of arbitrary $k$-bonacci words and find a…
Positional games are a branch of combinatorics, researching a variety of two-player games, ranging from popular recreational games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Hex, to purely abstract games played on graphs and hypergraphs. It is closely…
By treating combinatorial games as dynamical systems, we are able to address a longstanding open question in combinatorial game theory, namely, how the introduction of a "pass" move into a game affects its behavior. We consider two well…
A combinatorial game is a two-player game without hidden information or chance elements. The main object of combinatorial game theory is to obtain the outcome, which player has a winning strategy, of a given combinatorial game. Positions of…
In this paper we study a family of 2-pile Take Away games, that we denote by Generalized Diagonal Wythoff Nim (GDWN). The story begins with 2-pile Nim whose sets of options and $P$-positions are $\{\{0,t\}\mid t\in \N\}$ and $\{(t,t)\mid…
A generalized model of games is proposed, in which cooperative games and non-cooperative games are special cases. Some games that are neither cooperative nor non-cooperative can be expressed and analyzed. The model is based on relationships…
We study a combinatorial game derived from a problem in the German National Mathematics Competition. In this game, two players take turns removing numbers from a finite set of natural numbers, aiming to satisfy a certain divisibility…
Combinatorial games are two-player games of pure strategy where the players, usually called Left and Right, move alternately. In this paper, we introduce Cheating Robot games. These arise from simultaneous-play combinatorial games where one…
Combinatorial Game Theory is a branch of mathematics and theoretical computer science that studies sequential 2-player games with perfect information. Normal play is the convention where a player who cannot move loses. Here, we generalize…
We announce misere-play solutions to several previously-unsolved combinatorial games. The solutions are described in terms of misere quotients--commutative monoids that encode the additive structure of specific misere-play games. We also…
Wythoff's Nim is a variant of 2-pile Nim in which players are allowed to take any positive number of stones from pile 1, or any positive number of stones from pile 2, or the same positive number from both piles. The player who makes the…
Quantum game theory is a recently developing field of physical research. In this paper, we investigate quantum games in a systematic way. With the famous instance of the Prisoner's Dilemma, we present the fascinating properties of quantum…