TacTix
Encyclopedia
TacTix is a two-player strategy game
invented by Piet Hein
. It is essentially a two-dimensional version of Nim
. Players alternate taking pieces away from a square (or rectangular) grid, as many contiguous pieces as desired from a single row or column. The player who takes the last piece loses (misère play convention).
The hexagonal variation of the game, played on a six by six by six board, is called TacTex.
On the 4 × 4 grid originally proposed by Hein, the second player will always win with correct play (HAKMEM
item #74).
If the game is instead played with the normal play convention (player who takes the last piece wins), the second player can always win by symmetrically mirroring the first player's moves. (Or on an odd × odd size grid, the first player can win by choosing the center piece and subsequently mirroring.)
The game is often used as a programming exercise, and many versions are available on the web as Java
applet
s.
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
invented by Piet Hein
Piet Hein (Denmark)
Piet Hein was a Danish scientist, mathematician, inventor, designer, author, and poet, often writing under the Old Norse pseudonym "Kumbel" meaning "tombstone"...
. It is essentially a two-dimensional version of Nim
Nim
Nim is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap....
. Players alternate taking pieces away from a square (or rectangular) grid, as many contiguous pieces as desired from a single row or column. The player who takes the last piece loses (misère play convention).
The hexagonal variation of the game, played on a six by six by six board, is called TacTex.
On the 4 × 4 grid originally proposed by Hein, the second player will always win with correct play (HAKMEM
HAKMEM
HAKMEM, alternatively known as AI Memo 239, is a February 1972 "memo" of the MIT AI Lab that describes a wide variety of hacks, primarily useful and clever algorithms for mathematical computation. There are also some schematic diagrams for hardware...
item #74).
If the game is instead played with the normal play convention (player who takes the last piece wins), the second player can always win by symmetrically mirroring the first player's moves. (Or on an odd × odd size grid, the first player can win by choosing the center piece and subsequently mirroring.)
The game is often used as a programming exercise, and many versions are available on the web as Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
applet
Applet
In computing, an applet is any small application that performs one specific task that runs within the scope of a larger program, often as a plug-in. An applet typically also refers to Java applets, i.e., programs written in the Java programming language that are included in a web page...
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External links
- TacTix applet from thinks.com
- TacTix at Math.com
- TacTix iPhone an iPhoneIPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
game available at the App Store - JavaScript TacTix