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Games and Strategy

Spring 2026 · 9 problems

Every battle is won before it is ever fought.

Sun Tzu

Combinatorial games, invariants, and winning strategies.

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What is in it

Problems only — the club works these out together at meetings. Topic and attribution are listed as a starting point.

1. Race to 2026 Backward InductionEasy
2. Breaking the Bar InvariantsEasy
3. Classic Nim Combinatorial Game Theory
4. Game of Chomp Existence Proofs
5. Keep it nonsingular! Linear algebra / GamesAdapted from Putnam 2008 A2
6. The “Short-of-Prime” Game Algebra / GamesPutnam 2006 A2
7. Polynomial Coefficients Algebra / GamesPutnam 1999 A3
8. Determinant Tic-Tac-Toe Putnam 2004 A4
9. The Angel and the Devil Graph Theory / Geometry