This website contains problems from math contests. Problems and corresponding tags were obtained from the Art of Problem Solving website.

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Found problems: 1385

The number 2013 is written on a blackboard. Two players participate, alternating in turns, in the next game. A movement consists in changing the number that is on the board for the difference of this number and one of its divisors. The player who writes a zero loses. Which of the two players can guarantee victory?
Three piles of stones are given, initially containing 2000, 4000, and 4899 stones respectively. Ali and Baba play the following game, taking turns, with Ali starting first. In one move, a player can choose two piles and transfer some stones from one pile to the other, provided that at the end of the move, the pile from which the stones are moved has no fewer stones than the pile to which the stones are moved. The player who cannot make a move loses. Does either player have a winning strategy, and if so, who?
Alice and Bob play the following game. A stack of $n$ tokens lies before them. The players take turns with Alice going first. On each turn, the player removes $1$ token or $4$ tokens from the stack. The player who removes the last token wins. Find the number of positive integers $n$ less than or equal to $2024$ such that there is a strategy that guarantees that Bob wins, regardless of Alice’s moves.
There are red and blue balls in an urn : $1024$ in total. In one round, we do the following: we draw the balls from the urn two by two. After all balls have been drawn, we put a new ball back into the urn for each pair of drawn balls: the colour of the new ball depends on that of the drawn pair. For two red balls drawn, we put back a red ball. For two blue balls, we put back a blue ball. For a red and a blue ball, we put back a black ball. For a red and a black ball, we put back a red ball. For a blue and a black ball, we put back a blue ball. Finally, for two black balls we put back a black ball. Then the next round begins. After $10$ rounds, a single ball remains in the urn, which is red. What is the maximal number of blue balls that might have been in the urn at the very beginning?
Two players, $B$ and $R$, play the following game on an infinite grid of unit squares, all initially colored white. The players take turns starting with $B$. On $B$'s turn, $B$ selects one white unit square and colors it blue. On $R$'s turn, $R$ selects two white unit squares and colors them red. The players alternate until $B$ decides to end the game. At this point, $B$ gets a score, given by the number of unit squares in the largest (in terms of area) simple polygon containing only blue unit squares. What is the largest score $B$ can guarantee? (A [i]simple polygon[/i] is a polygon (not necessarily convex) that does not intersect itself and has no holes.) [i]Proposed by David Torres[/i]
An L-shape is one of the following four pieces, each consisting of three unit squares: [asy] size(300); defaultpen(linewidth(0.8)); path P=(1,2)--(0,2)--origin--(1,0)--(1,2)--(2,2)--(2,1)--(0,1); draw(P); draw(shift((2.7,0))*rotate(90,(1,1))*P); draw(shift((5.4,0))*rotate(180,(1,1))*P); draw(shift((8.1,0))*rotate(270,(1,1))*P); [/asy] A $5\times 5$ board, consisting of $25$ unit squares, a positive integer $k\leq 25$ and an unlimited supply of L-shapes are given. Two players A and B, play the following game: starting with A they play alternatively mark a previously unmarked unit square until they marked a total of $k$ unit squares. We say that a placement of L-shapes on unmarked unit squares is called $\textit{good}$ if the L-shapes do not overlap and each of them covers exactly three unmarked unit squares of the board. B wins if every $\textit{good}$ placement of L-shapes leaves uncovered at least three unmarked unit squares. Determine the minimum value of $k$ for which B has a winning strategy.
In the beginning there are $100$ integers in a row on the blackboard. Kain and Abel then play the following game: A [i]move[/i] consists in Kain choosing a chain of consecutive numbers; the length of the chain can be any of the numbers $1,2,\dots,100$ and in particular it is allowed that Kain only chooses a single number. After Kain has chosen his chain of numbers, Abel has to decide whether he wants to add $1$ to each of the chosen numbers or instead subtract $1$ from of the numbers. After that the next move begins, and so on. If there are at least $98$ numbers on the blackboard that are divisible by $4$ after a move, then Kain has won. Prove that Kain can force a win in a finite number of moves.
The perfect square game is played as follows: player 1 says a positive integer, then player 2 says a strictly smaller positive integer, and so on. The game ends when someone says 1; that player wins if and only if the sum of all numbers said is a perfect square. What is the sum of all $n$ such that, if player 1 starts by saying $n$, player 1 has a winning strategy? A winning strategy for player 1 is a rule player 1 can follow to win, regardless of what player 2 does. If player 1 wins, player 2 must lose, and vice versa. Both players play optimally. [i]Proposed by Jacob Stavrianos[/i]
Let $n> 2$ be a natural number. We consider $n$ candy bags, each containing exactly one candy. Ali and Omar play the following game in which they move alternately (Ali moves the first): At each move, the player who has to make a move chooses two bags containing $x$, respectively $y$ candy, with $(x,y)=1$, and he puts the $x + y$ candies in one bag (he chooses where). The player who can't make a move loses. Which of the two players has a strategy to win this game?
Consider an equilateral triangle with every side divided by $n$ points into $n+1$ equal parts. We put a marker on every of the $3n$ division points. We draw lines parallel to the sides of the triangle through the division points, and this way divide the triangle into $(n+1)^2$ smaller ones. Consider the following game: if there is a small triangle with exactly one vertex unoccupied, we put a marker on it and simultaneously take markers from the two its occupied vertices. We repeat this operation as long as it is possible. (a) If $n\equiv1\pmod3$, show that we cannot manage that only one marker remains. (b) If $n\equiv0$ or $n\equiv2\pmod3$, prove that we can finish the game leaving exactly one marker on the triangle.
[b]p1.[/b] A tennis net is made of strings tied up together which make a grid consisting of small squares as shown below. [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/9/4/72077777d57408d9fff0ea5e79be5ecb6fe8c3.png[/img] The size of the net is $100\times 10$ small squares. What is the maximal number of sides of small squares which can be cut without breaking the net into two separate pieces? (The side is cut only in the middle, not at the ends). [b]p2.[/b] What number is bigger $2^{300}$ or $3^{200}$ ? [b]p3.[/b] All noble knights participating in a medieval tournament in Camelot used nicknames. In the tournament each knight had combats with all other knights. In each combat one knight won and the second one lost. At the end of tournament the losers reported their real names to the winners and to the winners of their winners. Was there a person who knew the real names of all knights? [b]p4.[/b] Two players Tom and Sid play the following game. There are two piles of rocks, $10$ rocks in the first pile and $12$ rocks in the second pile. Each of the players in his turn can take either any amount of rocks from one pile or the same amount of rocks from both piles. The winner is the player who takes the last rock. Who does win in this game if Tom starts the game? [b]p5.[/b] There is an interesting $5$-digit integer. With a $1$ after it, it is three times as large as with a $1$ before it. What is the number? PS. You should use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].
Joe and Penny play a game. Initially there are $5000$ stones in a pile, and the two players remove stones from the pile by making a sequence of moves. On the $k$-th move, any number of stones between $1$ and $k$ inclusive may be removed. Joe makes the odd-numbered moves and Penny makes the even-numbered moves. The player who removes the very last stone is the winner. Who wins if both players play perfectly?
When submitting problems, Steven the troll likes to submit silly names rather than his own. On day $1$, he gives no name at all. Every day after that, he alternately adds $2$ words and $4$ words to his name. For example, on day $4$ he submits an $8\text{-word}$ name. On day $n$ he submits the $44\text{-word name}$ “Steven the AJ Dennis the DJ Menace the Prince of Tennis the Merchant of Venice the Hygienist the Evil Dentist the Major Premise the AJ Lettuce the Novel’s Preface the Core Essence the Young and the Reckless the Many Tenants the Deep, Dark Crevice”. Compute $n$.
Let $n$ be a given positive integer. Sisyphus performs a sequence of turns on a board consisting of $n + 1$ squares in a row, numbered $0$ to $n$ from left to right. Initially, $n$ stones are put into square $0$, and the other squares are empty. At every turn, Sisyphus chooses any nonempty square, say with $k$ stones, takes one of these stones and moves it to the right by at most $k$ squares (the stone should say within the board). Sisyphus' aim is to move all $n$ stones to square $n$. Prove that Sisyphus cannot reach the aim in less than \[ \left \lceil \frac{n}{1} \right \rceil + \left \lceil \frac{n}{2} \right \rceil + \left \lceil \frac{n}{3} \right \rceil + \dots + \left \lceil \frac{n}{n} \right \rceil \] turns. (As usual, $\lceil x \rceil$ stands for the least integer not smaller than $x$. )
Let $k$ be a positive integer. Two players $A$ and $B$ play a game on an infinite grid of regular hexagons. Initially all the grid cells are empty. Then the players alternately take turns with $A$ moving first. In his move, $A$ may choose two adjacent hexagons in the grid which are empty and place a counter in both of them. In his move, $B$ may choose any counter on the board and remove it. If at any time there are $k$ consecutive grid cells in a line all of which contain a counter, $A$ wins. Find the minimum value of $k$ for which $A$ cannot win in a finite number of moves, or prove that no such minimum value exists.
Misha and Sahsa play a game on a $100\times 100$ chessboard. First, Sasha places $50$ kings on the board, and Misha places a rook, and then they move in turns, as following (Sasha begins): At his move, Sasha moves each of the kings one square in any direction, and Misha can move the rook on the horizontal or vertical any number of squares. The kings cannot be captured or stepped over. Sasha's purpose is to capture the rook, and Misha's is to avoid capture. Is there a winning strategy available for Sasha?
Ingrid and Erik are playing a game. For a given odd prime $p$, the numbers $1, 2, 3, ..., p-1$ are written on a blackboard. The players take turns making moves with Ingrid starting. A move consists of one of the players crossing out a number on the board that has not yet been crossed out. If the product of all currently crossed out numbers is $1 \pmod p$ after the move, the player whose move it was receives one point, otherwise, zero points are awarded. The game ends after all numbers have been crossed out. The player who has received the most points by the end of the game wins. If both players have the same score, the game ends in a draw. For each $p$, determine which player (if any) has a winning strategy
To each vertex of a regular pentagon an integer is assigned, so that the sum of all five numbers is positive. If three consecutive vertices are assigned the numbers $x,y,z$ respectively, and $y<0$, then the following operation is allowed: $x,y,z$ are replaced by $x+y,-y,z+y$ respectively. Such an operation is performed repeatedly as long as at least one of the five numbers is negative. Determine whether this procedure necessarily comes to an end after a finite number of steps.
[i]A. Akopyan, A. Akopyan, A. Akopyan, I. Bogdanov[/i] A conjurer Arutyun and his assistant Amayak are going to show following super-trick. A circle is drawn on the board in the room. Spectators mark $2007$ points on this circle, after that Amayak removes one of them. Then Arutyun comes to the room and shows a semicircle, to which the removed point belonged. Explain, how Arutyun and Amayak may show this super-trick.
Alex and Bob play a game 2015 x 2015 checkered board by the following rules.Initially the board is empty: the players move in turn, Alex moves first. By a move, a player puts either red or blue token into any unoccopied square. If after a player's move there appears a row of three consecutive tokens of the same color( this row may be vertical,horizontal, or dioganal), then this player wins. If all the cells are occupied by tokens, but no such row appears, then a draw is declared.Determine whether Alex, Bob, or none of them has winning strategy.
At a chess tourney, each player played with all the other players two matches, one time with the white pieces, and one time with the black pieces. One point was given for a victory, and 0,5 points were given for a tied game. In the end of the tourney all the players had the same number of points. a) Prove that there exist two players with the same number of tied games; b) Prove that there exist two players which have the same number of lost games when playing with the white pieces.
Let $n$ be a given positive integer. Sisyphus performs a sequence of turns on a board consisting of $n + 1$ squares in a row, numbered $0$ to $n$ from left to right. Initially, $n$ stones are put into square $0$, and the other squares are empty. At every turn, Sisyphus chooses any nonempty square, say with $k$ stones, takes one of these stones and moves it to the right by at most $k$ squares (the stone should say within the board). Sisyphus' aim is to move all $n$ stones to square $n$. Prove that Sisyphus cannot reach the aim in less than \[ \left \lceil \frac{n}{1} \right \rceil + \left \lceil \frac{n}{2} \right \rceil + \left \lceil \frac{n}{3} \right \rceil + \dots + \left \lceil \frac{n}{n} \right \rceil \] turns. (As usual, $\lceil x \rceil$ stands for the least integer not smaller than $x$. )
Peter plays a solitaire game with a deck of cards, some of which are face-up while the others are face-down. Peter loses if all the cards are face-down. As long as at least one card is face up, Peter must choose a stack of consecutive cards from the deck, so that the top and the bottom cards of the stack are face-up. They may be the same card. Then Peter turns the whole stack over and puts it back into the deck in exactly the same place as before. Prove that Peter always loses. (A Shapovalov)
Anumber of schools took part in a tennis tournament. No two players from the same school played against each other. Every two players from different schools played exactly one match against each other. A match between two boys or between two girls was called a [i]single[/i] and that between a boy and a girl was called a [i]mixed single[/i]. The total number of boys differed from the total number of girls by at most 1. The total number of singles differed from the total number of mixed singles by at most 1. At most how many schools were represented by an odd number of players?
Two players $A$ and $B$ play a game on a $1\times m$ board, using $2012$ pieces numbered from $1$ to $2012.$ At each turn, $A$ chooses a piece and $B$ places it to an empty place. After $k$ turns, if all pieces are placed on the board increasingly, then $B$ wins, otherwise $A$ wins. For which values of $(m,k)$ pairs can $B$ guarantee to win?