Game Theory, Nim and Grundy Numbers
Decide who wins a two-player game with perfect play, using win/lose states, the XOR rule of Nim, and Grundy numbers for sums of games.
The problem
Two players take turns making moves in a game with no luck and no hidden information. Both play perfectly. In normal play the player who cannot move loses. Who wins from the starting position?
Games where both players have the same moves from every position are called impartial. Chess is not impartial (each player moves only their own pieces). Taking stones from piles is.
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