Please forgive me for the OT and let me show you the interesting game of NIM at a Gothic Chess board.

Suppose the following position at a Gothic Chess board with the Gothic Chess pieces indicated as * and with the empty squares as +, without caring for what every piece is.

+ + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + +
+ + * + + + + * + +
+ + * + + + + * + +
+ * * * + + * * * +
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
a b c d e f g h i j

The rules for the game moves are easy:
A player can remove a piece from any file and at the same time all the pieces above that piece, are removed from the board too. (For example if he remove the c1 piece, all the pieces from the c file will disappear, if he remove the c2 piece, all the pieces above c2 inluding c2 piece, will disappear).

White plays first.

The goal is to remove a piece last, in order to win.
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The question is what game is this? A white-wins game or a black-wins game?
If white takes c3 piece(so only 2 pieces will remain at the c file),
then what black has to play in order to win?

The above board configuration can be named as 3464334643.
What about the configuration 4444444444. What game is this? A white-wins game or a black-wins game?

And what about the configuration 8888800000. Is it a white-wins game or a black-wins game? And if white plays a8?? then what black has to play to win?


These are rather easy questions to answer and if you are wonder why i'm asking them, it is because i want to see if anyone here has any mathematical interest......... In my country, well actually in my town (my country should follow this too) i see only a super-tiny number of people that having interest at mathematics. Also at the non-mathematical forums i read, people don't care about mathematics and even feel scared about them. This is strange as mathematics are everywhere and is one of the most amazing discoveries of mankind.

I'm saying all these, since this game can easily be played perfectly with some beginner's mathematics. I had thousants of wins and i was invincible with my friends that wondered how i do it. And it wasn't a solution that i saw and played it so it was unfair for them, but i had solved this game before seeing the solution.
So i invite all people and especially the younger, to come and explore the amazing world of mathematics!