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We define and give results on the game NecklaceNim NN($n$,$k$) which is PathNim PN($n$,$k$) with an additional move allowed on the end vertices. This game arises as a sub-game in the context of solving CircularNim CN($n$,$k$) when $k-2$…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2026-04-14 Balaji R. Kadam , Silvia Heubach , Matthieu Dufour

Here, we present a variant of Nim with two piles. In the first pile, we have stones with a weight of 1, and in the second pile, we have stones with a weight of -2. Two Players take turns to take stones from one of the piles, and the total…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2023-12-06 Shoei Takahashi , Hikaru Manabe , Aoi Murakami , Ryohei Miyadera

We introduce a new family of one-player games, involving the movement of coins from one configuration to another. Moves are restricted so that a coin can be placed only in a position that is adjacent to at least two other coins. The goal of…

Discrete Mathematics · Computer Science 2007-05-23 Erik D. Demaine , Martin L. Demaine , Helena A. Verrill

We consider a generalization of the classical game of $NIM$ called hypergraph $NIM$. Given a hypergraph $\cH$ on the ground set $V = \{1, \ldots, n\}$ of $n$ piles of stones, two players alternate in choosing a hyperedge $H \in \cH$ and…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2019-03-20 Endre Boros , Vladimir Gurvich , Nhan Bao Ho , Kazuhisa Makino , Peter Mursic

The Grundy number of an impartial game G is the size of the unique Nim heap equal to G. We introduce a new variant of Nim, Restricted Nim, which restricts the number of stones a player may remove from a heap in terms of the size of the…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2007-05-23 Lionel Levine

Subtraction games is a class of combinatorial games. It was solved since the Sprague-Grundy Theory was put forward. This paper described a new algorithm for subtraction games. The new algorithm can find win or lost positions in subtraction…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2012-08-31 Guanglei He , Zhihui Qin

We study the applicability of quantum algorithms in computational game theory and generalize some results related to Subtraction games, which are sometimes referred to as one-heap Nim games. In quantum game theory, a subset of Subtraction…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-15 Dmitry Kravchenko , Kamil Khadiev , Danil Serov , Ruslan Kapralov

In many combinatorial games, one can prove that the first player wins under best play using a simple but non-constructive argument called strategy-stealing. This work is about the complexity behind these proofs: how hard is it to actually…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2019-11-19 Greg Bodwin , Ofer Grossman

A Subtraction-Division game is a two player combinatorial game with three parameters: a set S, a set D, and a number n. The game starts at n, and is a race to say the number 1. Each player, on their turn, can either move the total to n-s…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2012-06-05 Elizabeth Kupin

We study games in which a leader makes a single commitment, and then multiple followers (each with a different utility function) respond. In particular, we study ambiguous commitment strategies in these games, in which the leader may commit…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2024-09-10 Natalie Collina , Rabanus Derr , Aaron Roth

We study the computational complexity of distance games, a class of combinatorial games played on graphs. A move consists of colouring an uncoloured vertex subject to it not being at certain distances determined by two sets, D and S. D is…

Computational Complexity · Computer Science 2019-02-12 Kyle Burke , Silvia Heubach , Melissa Huggan , Svenja Huntemann

In 1901, Bouton proved that a winning strategy of the game of Nim is given by the bitwise XOR, called the nim-sum. But, why does such a weird binary operation work? Led by this question, this paper introduces a categorical reinterpretation…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-11-17 Ryuya Hora

Given a graph G with positive integer weights on the vertices, and a token placed on some current vertex u, two players alternately remove a positive integer weight from u and then move the token to a new current vertex adjacent to u. When…

Discrete Mathematics · Computer Science 2012-08-06 Eric Duchêne , Gabriel Renault

We consider the problem of determining the minimum number of moves needed to solve a certain one-dimensional peg puzzle. Let N be a positive integer. The puzzle apparatus consists of a block with a single row of 2N+1 equally spaced holes…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2007-05-23 David M. Bradley , Hugh Thomas

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…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2010-05-11 Urban Larsson

In Combinatorial Game Theory, short game forms are defined recursively over all the positions the two players are allowed to move to. A form is decomposable if it can be expressed as a disjunctive sum of two forms with smaller birthday. If…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2023-06-13 Michael Fisher , Neil A. McKay , Rebecca Milley , Richard J. Nowakowski , Carlos P. Santos

In this paper, we analyze the mis\`ere versions of two impartial combinatorial games: k-Bounded Greedy Nim and Greedy Nim. We present a complete solution to both games by showing necessary and sufficient conditions for a position to be…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2025-06-06 Nanako Omiya , Ryo Yoshinaka , Ayumi Shinohara

Given two finite sets of integers $S\subseteq\NNN\setminus\{0\}$ and $D\subseteq\NNN\setminus\{0,1\}$,the impartial combinatorial game $\IMARK(S,D)$ is played on a heap of tokens. From a heap of $n$ tokens, each player can moveeither to a…

Discrete Mathematics · Computer Science 2015-11-10 Eric Sopena

We consider a generalization of the classical game of $NIM$ called hypergraph $NIM$. Given a hypergraph $\cH$ on the ground set $V = \{1, \ldots, n\}$ of $n$ piles of stones, two players alternate in choosing a hyperedge $H \in \cH$ and…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2018-04-06 Endre Boros , Vladimir Gurvich , Nhan Bao Ho , Kazuhisa Makino , Peter Mursic

We examine the structure of the additive period of the Sprague-Grundy function of Nim-like games, among them Wythoff's Game, and deduce a bound for the length of the period and preperiod.

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2019-08-27 Jens Askgaard