Problem
2006 Cayley Problem 24
Anne and Brenda play a game which begins with a pile of n toothpicks. They alternate turns with Anne going first. On each player's turn, she must remove 1, 3 or 4 toothpicks from the pile. The player who removes the last toothpick wins the game. For which of the following values of n does Brenda have a winning strategy? (In a game, a player has a winning strategy if, regardless of what the other player does, there are moves that she can make which *guarantee* that she will win.)
\textbf{(A)}\ 31\quad \textbf{(B)}\ 32\quad \textbf{(C)}\ 33\quad \textbf{(D)}\ 34\quad \textbf{(E)}\ 35
If there are no answer choices shown, enter a numerical answer.
Full credit to this problem is given to the CEMC, you may view all Cayley contests here.
Want to contribute problems and receive full credit? Click here to add your problem!
Please report any issues to us in our Discord server
Go to previous contest problem (SHIFT + Left Arrow) Go to next contest problem (SHIFT + Right Arrow)
Problem feedback