Games Coins Play

Martin J. Chlond


A number of interesting games described as follows may be played with the above layout. The originator of the games is David Madore and more detailed description together with a discussion of strategy is available at http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/madore/coinsgame.html

In each game the player makes moves alternately against the computer and the objective is to perform the last possible legal move, that is, to achieve the position were all the coins show tails.

In all games at least one coin must be turned per move and the right-most coin to be turned must be from heads to tails.

The initial configuration for the games, except the contiguous game, is all heads. In the contiguous game the middle coin shows tails in order to prevent the aggresive player from achieving an immediate win by flipping all fifteen coins.

A game may be selected by means of the Choice Box and the player is free to accept the standard starting configuration or to select a random configuration.

Trivial Game

Each player must turn one coin only from heads to tails.

Baby's Game

Each player can turn either one or two coins from heads to tails.

Siamese Twins

Players can turn either one or two coins. If two coins are turned they must be adjacent. The left-most coin may be from tails to heads.

Contiguous Game

Each player may turn as many coins as he wishes with the constraint that the coins are contiguous. As always the right-most coin is from heads to tails and at least one coin is turned.

Two Coins Game

Same as Siamese Twins but the two coins need not be adjacent.

Three Coins Game

Players can turn one, two or three coins.

More Java games