Related papers: The Problem of Pawns
We show that there is an $m=2n+o(n)$, such that, in the Maker-Breaker game played on $\Z^d$ where Maker needs to put at least $m$ of his marks consecutively in one of $n$ given winning directions, Breaker can force a draw using a pairing…
In this paper, we show that the solution to a large class of "tiling" problems is given by a polynomial sequence of binomial type. More specifically, we show that the number of ways to place a fixed set of polyominos on an $n\times n$…
We give an example of two $n\times n$ chess positions, $A$ and $B$, such that (1) there is a sequence $\sigma$ of legal chess moves leading from $A$ to $B$; (2) the length of $\sigma$ cannot be less than $\exp \Theta(n)$.
Automatic chess problem or puzzle composition typically involves generating and testing various different positions, sometimes using particular piece sets. Once a position has been generated, it is then usually tested for positional…
We define and enumerate two new two-parameter permutation families, namely, placements of a maximum number of non-attacking rooks on $k$ chained-together $n\times n$ chessboards, in either a circular or linear configuration. The linear case…
We consider the problem of determining the maximum number of pairs $F\subseteq F'$ in a family $\mathcal{F}\subseteq 2^{[n]}$ that avoids certain posets $P$ of height 2. We show that for any such $P$ the number of pairs is…
We prove that chess played on the infinite chessboard $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with infinitely many pieces is as powerful as it could possibly be, by showing that every open Gale-Stewart game with draws is strategically equivalent to some infinite…
We examine a two-person game we call Will-Testing in which the strategy space for both players is a real number. It has no equilibrium. When an infinitely large set of players plays this in all possible pairings, there is an equilibrium for…
Predicting the relative value of any given chess piece in a position remains an open challenge, as a piece's contribution depends on its spatial relationships with every other piece on the board. We demonstrate that incorporating the state…
We introduce and study pawn games, a class of two-player zero-sum turn-based graph games. A turn-based graph game proceeds by placing a token on an initial vertex, and whoever controls the vertex on which the token is located, chooses its…
Suppose 2n voters vote sequentially for one of two candidates. For how many such sequences does one candidate have strictly more votes than the other at each stage of the voting? The answer is \binom{2n}{n} and, while easy enough to prove…
For given posets $P$ and $Q$ and an integer $n$, the generalized Tur\'an problem for posets, asks for the maximum number of copies of $Q$ in a $P$-free subset of the $n$-dimensional Boolean lattice, $2^{[n]}$. In this paper, among other…
We consider a two player simultaneous-move game where the two players each select any permissible $n$-sided die for a fixed integer $n$. A player wins if the outcome of his roll is greater than that of his opponent. Remarkably, for $n>3$,…
The problem of bounding the size of a set system under various intersection restrictions has a central place in extremal combinatorics. We investigate the maximum number of disjoint pairs a set system can have in this setting. In…
Domineering is a two player game played on a checkerboard in which one player places dominoes vertically and the other places them horizontally. We give bivariate generating polynomials enumerating Domineering positions by the number of…
In an investigation of the applications of Combinatorial Game Theory to chess, we construct novel mutual Zugzwang positions, explain an otherwise mysterious pawn endgame from "A Guide to Chess Endings" (Euwe and Hooper), show positions…
Consider the following one player game. A deck containing $m$ copies of $n$ different card types is shuffled uniformly at random. Each round the player tries to guess the next card in the deck, and then the card is revealed and discarded.…
Domineering is a two-player game played on a checkerboard in which one player places dominoes vertically, while the other places them horizontally. In this paper, we find out the minimum number of moves for a game of Domineering to end on…
Abalone is a 2-player board game with perfect information. The game is played on a 5x5x5 hexagonal grid and ends when a player pushes 6 of their opponents' pieces off the board. Abalone is similar to games like chess and Go in that all…
We construct irreducible balanced non-transitive sets of $n$-sided dice for any positive integer $n$, which was raised in \cite[Question 5.2]{SS17}. One main tool of the construction is to study so-called fair sets of dice. Furthermore, we…