Found problems: 14
2019 Thailand TST, 3
Let $ABC$ be any triangle with $\angle BAC \le \angle ACB \le \angle CBA$. Let $D, E$ and $F$ be the midpoints of $BC, CA$ and $AB$, respectively, and let $\epsilon$ be a positive real number. Suppose there is an ant (represented by a point $T$ ) and two spiders (represented by points $P_1$ and $P_2$, respectively) walking on the sides $BC, CA, AB, EF, FD$ and $DE$. The ant and the spiders may vary their speeds, turn at an intersection point, stand still, or turn back at any point; moreover, they are aware of their and the others’ positions at all time.
Assume that the ant’s speed does not exceed $1$ mm/s, the first spider’s speed does not exceed $\frac{\sin A}{2 \sin A+\sin B}$ mm/s, and the second spider’s speed does not exceed $\epsilon$ mm/s. Show that the spiders always have a strategy to catch the ant regardless of the starting points of the ant and the spiders.
Note: the two spiders can discuss a plan before the hunt starts and after seeing all three starting points, but cannot communicate during the hunt.
I Soros Olympiad 1994-95 (Rus + Ukr), 9.2
Given a regular $72$-gon. Lenya and Kostya play the game "Make an equilateral triangle." They take turns marking with a pencil on one still unmarked angle of the $72$-gon: Lenya uses red. Kostya uses blue. Lenya starts the game, and the one who marks first wins if its color is three vertices that are the vertices of some equilateral triangle, if all the vertices are marked and no such a triangle exists, the game ends in a draw. Prove that Kostya can play like this so as not to lose.
2019 Tournament Of Towns, 3
There are 100 visually identical coins of three types: golden, silver and copper. There is at least one coin of each type. Each golden coin weighs 3 grams, each silver coins weighs 2 grams and each copper coin weighs 1 gram. How to find the type of each coin performing no more than 101 measurements on a balance scale with no weights.
2016 Junior Balkan Team Selection Tests - Moldova, 8
Nicu plays the Next game on the computer. Initially the number $S$ in the computer has the value $S = 0$. At each step Nicu chooses a certain number $a$ ($0 <a <1$) and enters it in computer. The computer arbitrarily either adds this number $a$ to the number $S$ or it subtracts from $S$ and displays on the screen the new result for $S$. After that Nicu does Next step. It is known that among any $100$ consecutive operations the computer the at least once apply the assembly. Give an arbitrary number $M> 0$. Show that there is a strategy for Nicu that will always allow him after a finite number of steps to get a result $S> M$.
[hide=original wording]Nicu joacă la calculator următorul joc. Iniţial numărul S din calculator are valoarea S = 0. La fiecare pas Nicu alege un număr oarecare a (0 < a < 1) şi îl introduce în calculator. Calculatorul, în mod arbitrar, sau adună acest număr a la numărul S sau îl scade din S şi afişează pe ecran rezultatul nou pentru S. După aceasta Nicu face următorul pas. Se ştie că printre oricare 100 de operaţii consecutive calculatorul cel puţin o dată aplică adunarea. Fie dat un număr arbitrar M > 0. Să se arate că există o strategie pentru Nicu care oricând îi va permite lui după un număr finit de paşi să obţină un rezulat S > M.[/hide]
2013 Kyiv Mathematical Festival, 4
Elza draws $2013$ cities on the map and connects some of them with $N$ roads. Then Elza and Susy erase cities in turns until just two cities left (first city is to be erased by Elza). If these cities are connected with a road then Elza wins, otherwise Susy wins. Find the smallest $N$ for which Elza has a winning strategy.
2014 Contests, 4
We are given a row of $n\geq7$ tiles. In the leftmost 3 tiles, there is a white piece each, and in the rightmost 3 tiles, there is a black piece each. The white and black players play in turns (the white starts). In each move, a player may take a piece of their color, and move it to an adjacent tile, so long as it's not occupied by a piece of the [u]same color[/u]. If the new tile is empty, nothing happens. If the tile is occupied by a piece of the [u]opposite color[/u], both pieces are destroyed (both white and black). The player who destroys the last two pieces wins the game.
Which player has a winning strategy, and what is it? (The answer may depend on $n$)
2018 IFYM, Sozopol, 7
$n$ points were chosen on a circle. Two players are playing the following game: On every move a point is chosen and it is connected with an edge to an adjacent point or with the center of the circle. The winner is the player, after whose move each point can be reached by any other (including the center) by moving on the constructed edges. Find who of the two players has a winning strategy.
2024 Junior Balkan MO, 4
Three friends Archie, Billie, and Charlie play a game. At the beginning of the game, each of them has a pile of $2024$ pebbles. Archie makes the first move, Billie makes the second, Charlie makes the third and they continue to make moves in the same order. In each move, the player making the move must choose a positive integer $n$ greater than any previously chosen number by any player, take $2n$ pebbles from his pile and distribute them equally to the other two players. If a player cannot make a move, the game ends and that player loses the game.
$\hspace{5px}$ Determine all the players who have a strategy such that, regardless of how the other two players play, they will not lose the game.
[i]Proposed by Ilija Jovčeski, Macedonia[/i]
2019 Ecuador NMO (OMEC), 4
Let $n> 1$ be a positive integer. Danielle chooses a number $N$ of $n$ digits but does not tell her students and they must find the sum of the digits of $N$. To achieve this, each student chooses and says once a number of $n$ digits to Danielle and she tells how many digits are in the correct location compared with $N$. Find the minimum number of students that must be in the class to ensure that students have a strategy to correctly find the sum of the digits of $N$ in any case and show a strategy in that case.
2017 Puerto Rico Team Selection Test, 4
Alberto and Bianca play a game on a square board. Alberto begins. On their turn, players place a $1 \times 2$ or $2 \times 1$ domino on two empty squares on the board. The player who cannot put a domino loses. Determine who has a winning strategy (and prove it) if the board is:
i) $3 \times 3$
ii) $3 \times 4$
1994 All-Russian Olympiad, 3
There are three piles of matches on the table: one with $100$ matches, one with $200$, and one with $300$. Two players play the following game. They play alternatively, and a player on turn removes one of the piles and divides one of the remaining piles into two nonempty piles. The player who cannot make a legal move loses. Who has a winning strategy?
(K. Kokhas’)
2014 Israel National Olympiad, 4
We are given a row of $n\geq7$ tiles. In the leftmost 3 tiles, there is a white piece each, and in the rightmost 3 tiles, there is a black piece each. The white and black players play in turns (the white starts). In each move, a player may take a piece of their color, and move it to an adjacent tile, so long as it's not occupied by a piece of the [u]same color[/u]. If the new tile is empty, nothing happens. If the tile is occupied by a piece of the [u]opposite color[/u], both pieces are destroyed (both white and black). The player who destroys the last two pieces wins the game.
Which player has a winning strategy, and what is it? (The answer may depend on $n$)
2021 Middle European Mathematical Olympiad, 3
Let $n, b$ and $c$ be positive integers. A group of $n$ pirates wants to fairly split their treasure. The treasure consists of $c \cdot n$ identical coins distributed over $b \cdot n$ bags, of which at least $n-1$ bags are initially empty. Captain Jack inspects the contents of each bag and then performs a sequence of moves. In one move, he can take any number of coins from a single bag and put them into one empty bag. Prove that no matter how the coins are initially distributed, Jack can perform at most $n-1$ moves and then split the bags among the pirates such that each pirate gets $b$ bags and $c$ coins.
1999 Mexico National Olympiad, 1
On a table there are $1999$ counters, red on one side and black on the other side, arranged arbitrarily. Two people alternately make moves, where each move is of one of the following two types:
(1) Remove several counters which all have the same color up;
(2) Reverse several counters which all have the same color up.
The player who takes the last counter wins. Decide which of the two players (the one playing first or the other one) has a wining strategy.