Subtract-a-square (also referred to as take-a-square) is a two-player mathematical subtraction game. It is played by two people with a pile of coins (or other tokens) between them. The players take turns removing coins from the pile, always removing a non-zero square number of coins. The game is usually played as a normal play game, which means that the player who removes the last coin wins.[1][2] It is an impartial game, meaning that the set of moves available from any position does not depend on whose turn it is. Solomon W. Golomb credits the invention of this game to Richard A. Epstein.[3]
- ^ Silverman, David L. (1971), "61. Subtract-a-square", Your Move: Logic, Math and Word Puzzles for Enthusiasts, Dover Publications, p. 143, ISBN 9780486267319
- ^ Dunn, Angela (1980), "Subtract-a-square", Mathematical Bafflers, Dover Publications, p. 102, ISBN 9780486239613
- ^ Golomb, Solomon W. (1966), "A mathematical investigation of games of "take-away"", Journal of Combinatorial Theory, 1 (4): 443–458, doi:10.1016/S0021-9800(66)80016-9, MR 0209015.
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