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Problem of the Week
Problem C
Just My Two Cents

In Canada, pennies are \(1\) cent coins that were used up until \(2012\). Antonio and Bjorn are playing a game using two pennies and a game board consisting of a row of \(6\) squares. To start the game, the pennies are placed in the two leftmost squares, as shown.

One coin is placed in the leftmost square of the board. A second coin is placed in the next square to the right. The other four squares are empty.

The rules of the game are as follows:

Bjorn knows that if he goes second he can always win the game, regardless of where Antonio moves the pennies on his turns. Describe Bjorn’s winning strategy.


Theme: Computational Thinking