Ari and Beri play a game using a deck of $2020$ cards with exactly one card with each number from $1$ to $2020$. Ari gets a card with a number $a$ and removes it from the deck. Beri sees the card, chooses another card from the deck with a number $b$ and removes it from the deck. Then Beri writes on the board exactly one of the trinomials $x^2-ax+b$ or $x^2-bx+a$ from his choice. This process continues until no cards are left on the deck. If at the end of the game every trinomial written on the board has integer solutions, Beri wins. Otherwise, Ari wins. Prove that Beri can always win, no matter how Ari plays.

Let $n$ be a natural number. At first the cells of a table $2n$ x $2n$ are colored in white. Two players $A$ and $B$ play the following game. First is $A$ who has to color $m$ arbitrary cells in red and after that $B$ chooses $n$ rows and $n$ columns and color their cells in black. Player $A$ wins, if there is at least one red cell on the board. Find the least value of $m$ for which $A$ wins no matter how $B$ plays.

Let $n$ and $k$ be positive integers satisfying $k\leq2n^2$. Lee and Sunny play a game with a $2n\times2n$ grid paper. First, Lee writes a non-negative real number no greater than $1$ in each of the cells, so that the sum of all numbers on the paper is $k$. Then, Sunny divides the paper into few pieces such that each piece is constructed by several complete and connected cells, and the sum of all numbers on each piece is at most $1$. There are no restrictions on the shape of each piece. (Cells are connected if they share a common edge.) Let $M$ be the number of pieces. Lee wants to maximize $M$, while Sunny wants to minimize $M$. Find the value of $M$ when Lee and Sunny both play optimally.

Kunal and Arnab play a game as follows. Initially there are $2$ piles of coins with $x$ and $y$ coins respectively. The game starts with Kunal. In each turn a player chooses one pile and removes as many coins as he wants from that pile. The game goes on and the last one to remove a coin loses. Determine all possible values of $(x,y)$ which ensure Kunal's victory against Arnab given both os them play optimally. \\ [i]You are required to find an exhaustive set of solutions[/i]

Two players play the following game: alternatively they write numbers $1$ or $0$ in the vertices of an $n$-gon. First player starts the game and wins if after any of his moves there exists a triangle, whose vertices are three consecutive vertices of the $n$-gon, such that the sum of numbers in it's vertices is divisible by $3$. Second player wins if he prevents this. Determine which player has a winning strategy if: a) $n=2019$ b) $n=2020$ c) $n=2021$

Ana and Beto play on a blackboard where all integers from 1 to 2024 (inclusive) are written. On each turn, Ana chooses three numbers $a,b,c$ written on the board and then Beto erases them and writes one of the following numbers: $$a+b-c, a-b+c, ~\text{or}~ -a+b+c.$$ The game ends when only two numbers are left on the board and Ana cannot play. If the sum of the final numbers is a multiple of 3, Beto wins. Otherwise, Ana wins. ¿Who has a winning strategy?

There are $2^{2018}$ positions on a circle numbered from $1$ to $2^{2018}$ in a clockwise manner. Initially, two white marbles are placed at positions $2018$ and $2019$. Before the game starts, Ping chooses to place either a black marble or a white marble at each remaining position. At the start of the game, Ping is given an integer $n$ ($0\leq n\leq 2018$) and two marbles, one black and one white. He will then move around the circle, starting at position $2n$ and moving clockwise by $2n$ positions at a time. At the starting position and each position he reaches, Ping must switch the marble at that position with a marble of the other color he carries. If he cannot do so at any position, he loses the game. Is there a way to place the $2^{2018}-2$ remaining marbles so that Ping will never lose the game regardless of the number $n$ and the number of rounds he moves around the circle?

Two players play a game. They have $n > 2$ piles containing $n^{10}+1$ stones each. A move consists of removing all the piles but one and dividing the remaining pile into $n$ nonempty piles. The player that cannot move loses. Who has a winning strategy, the player that moves first or his adversary?

Mojtaba and Hooman are playing a game. Initially Mojtaba draws $2018$ vectors with zero sum. Then in each turn, starting with Mojtaba, the player takes a vector and puts it on the plane. After the first move, the players must put their vector next to the previous vector (the beginning of the vector must lie on the end of the previous vector). At last, there will be a closed polygon. If this polygon is not self-intersecting, Mojtaba wins. Otherwise Hooman. Who has the winning strategy? [i]Proposed by Mahyar Sefidgaran, Jafar Namdar [/i]

Two intelligent people playing a game on the $1403 \times 1403$ table with $1403^2$ cells. The first one in each turn chooses a cell that didn't select before and draws a vertical line segment from the top to the bottom of the cell. The second person in each turn chooses a cell that didn't select before and draws a horizontal line segment from the left to the right of the cell. After $1403^2$ steps the game will be over. The first person gets points equal to the longest verticals line segment and analogously the second person gets point equal to the longest horizonal line segment. At the end the person who gets the more point will win the game. What will be the result of the game?

A natural number $n$ is written on a board. On every step, Neneng and Asep changes the number on the board with the following rule: Suppose the number on the board is $X$. Initially, Neneng chooses the sign up or down. Then, Asep will pick a positive divisor $d$ of $X$, and replace $X$ with $X+d$ if Neneng chose the sign "up" or $X-d$ if Neneng chose "down". This procedure is then repeated. Asep wins if the number on the board is a nonzero perfect square, and loses if at any point he writes zero. Prove that if $n \geq 14$, Asep can win in at most $(n-5)/4$ steps.

Let $N$ a positive integer. In a spaceship there are $2 \cdot N$ people, and each two of them are friends or foes (both relationships are symmetric). Two aliens play a game as follows: 1) The first alien chooses any person as she wishes. 2) Thenceforth, alternately, each alien chooses one person not chosen before such that the person chosen on each turn be a friend of the person chosen on the previous turn. 3) The alien that can't play in her turn loses. Prove that second player has a winning strategy [i]if, and only if[/i], the $2 \cdot N$ people can be divided in $N$ pairs in such a way that two people in the same pair are friends.

Let $n$ be a positive integer. Ana and Banana are playing the following game: First, Ana arranges $2n$ cups in a row on a table, each facing upside-down. She then places a ball under a cup and makes a hole in the table under some other cup. Banana then gives a finite sequence of commands to Ana, where each command consists of swapping two adjacent cups in the row. Her goal is to achieve that the ball has fallen into the hole during the game. Assuming Banana has no information about the position of the hole and the position of the ball at any point, what is the smallest number of commands she has to give in order to achieve her goal?

Let $a$, $b$, $c$ be fixed positive integers. There are $a+b+c$ ducks sitting in a circle, one behind the other. Each duck picks either rock, paper, or scissors, with $a$ ducks picking rock, $b$ ducks picking paper, and $c$ ducks picking scissors. A move consists of an operation of one of the following three forms: [list] [*] If a duck picking rock sits behind a duck picking scissors, they switch places. [*] If a duck picking paper sits behind a duck picking rock, they switch places. [*] If a duck picking scissors sits behind a duck picking paper, they switch places. [/list] Determine, in terms of $a$, $b$, and $c$, the maximum number of moves which could take place, over all possible initial configurations.

There are $20$ points marked on a circle. Two players take turns drawing chords with ends at marked points that do not intersect the already drawn chords. The one who cannot make the next move loses. Who can secure their win?

Anselmo and Claudio are playing alternatively a game with fruits in a box. The box initially has $32$ fruits. Anselmo plays first and each turn consists of taking away $1$, $2$ or $3$ fruits from the box or taking away $\frac{2}{3}$ of the fruits from the box (this is only possible when the number of the fruits left in the box is a multiple of $3$). The player that takes away the last fruit from the box wins. Which of these two players has a winning strategy? How should that player play in order to win?

Mojtaba and Hooman are playing a game. Initially Mojtaba draws $2018$ vectors with zero sum. Then in each turn, starting with Mojtaba, the player takes a vector and puts it on the plane. After the first move, the players must put their vector next to the previous vector (the beginning of the vector must lie on the end of the previous vector). At last, there will be a closed polygon. If this polygon is not self-intersecting, Mojtaba wins. Otherwise Hooman. Who has the winning strategy? [i]Proposed by Mahyar Sefidgaran, Jafar Namdar [/i]

Ana and Bob are playing the following game. [list] [*] First, Bob draws triangle $ABC$ and a point $P$ inside it. [*] Then Ana and Bob alternate, starting with Ana, choosing three different permutations $\sigma_1$, $\sigma_2$ and $\sigma_3$ of $\{A, B, C\}$. [*] Finally, Ana draw a triangle $V_1V_2V_3$. [/list] For $i=1,2,3$, let $\psi_i$ be the similarity transformation which takes $\sigma_i(A), \sigma_i(B)$ and $\sigma_i(C)$ to $V_i, V_{i+1}$ and $ X_i$ respectively (here $V_4=V_1$) where triangle $\Delta V_iV_{i+1}X_i$ lies on the outside of triangle $V_1V_2V_3$. Finally, let $Q_i=\psi_i(P)$. Ana wins if triangles $Q_1Q_2Q_3$ and $ABC$ are similar (in some order of vertices) and Bob wins otherwise. Determine who has the winning strategy.

A pile of $2000$ coins is given on a table. In each step, we choose a pile with at least three coins, remove one coin from it, and divide the rest of this pile into two piles (not necessarily of the same size). Is it possible that after several steps each pile on the table has exactly three coins?

A pile of $2020$ stones is given. Arnaldo and Bernaldo play the following game: In each move, it is allowed to remove $1, 4, 16, 64, ...$ (any power of $4$) stones from the pile. They make their moves alternately, and the player who can no longer play loses. If Arnaldo is the first to play, who has the winning strategy?

There are $10$ cups, each having $10$ pebbles in them. Two players $A$ and $B$ play a game, repeating the following in order each move: $\bullet$ $B$ takes one pebble from each cup and redistributes them as $A$ wishes. $\bullet$ After $B$ distributes the pebbles, he tells how many pebbles are in each cup to $A$. Then $B$ destroys all the cups having no pebbles. $\bullet$ $B$ switches the places of two cups without telling $A$. After finitely many moves, $A$ can guarantee that $n$ cups are destroyed. Find the maximum possible value of $n$. (Note that $A$ doesn't see the cups while playing.) [i]Proposed by Emre Osman[/i]

A game is played with two players and an initial stack of $n$ pennies $(n \geq 3)$. The players take turns choosing one of the stacks of pennies on the table and splitting it into two stacks. The winner is the player who makes a move that causes all stacks to be of height $1$ or $2.$ For which starting values of n does the player who goes first win, assuming best play by both players?

A number line with the integers $1$ through $20,$ from left to right, is drawn. Ten coins are placed along this number line, with one coin at each odd number on the line. A legal move consists of moving one coin from its current position to a position of strictly greater value on the number line that is not already occupied by another coin. How many ways can we perform two legal moves in sequence, starting from the initial position of the coins (different two-move sequences that result in the same position are considered distinct)?

Let $n \geq 3$ be an integer. Two players play a game on an empty graph with $n + 1$ vertices, consisting of the vertices of a regular n-gon and its center. They alternately select a vertex of the n-gon and draw an edge (that has not been drawn) to an adjacent vertex on the n-gon or to the center of the n-gon. The player who first makes the graph connected wins. Between the player who goes first and the player who goes second, who has a winning strategy? [i]Note: an empty graph is a graph with no edges.[/i]

General Tilly and the Duke of Wallenstein play "Divide and rule!" (Divide et impera!). To this end, they arrange $N$ tin soldiers in $M$ companies and command them by turns. Both of them must give a command and execute it in their turn. Only two commands are possible: The command "[i]Divide![/i]" chooses one company and divides it into two companies, where the commander is free to choose their size, the only condition being that both companies must contain at least one tin soldier. On the other hand, the command "[i]Rule![/i]" removes exactly one tin soldier from each company. The game is lost if in your turn you can't give a command without losing a company. Wallenstein starts to command. a) Can he force Tilly to lose if they start with $7$ companies of $7$ tin soldiers each? b) Who loses if they start with $M \ge 1$ companies consisting of $n_1 \ge 1, n_2 \ge 1, \dotsc, n_M \ge 1$ $(n_1+n_2+\dotsc+n_M=N)$ tin soldiers?