Kayles

Kayles is a simple impartial game in combinatorial game theory, invented by Henry Dudeney in 1908.

Why is Kayles Popular?

Kayles is a popular game in combinatorial game theory, which is a branch of mathematics that studies two-player games with perfect information. The game is significant because it is simple to learn, yet has complex strategic depth. It is also an impartial game, meaning that it is not biased towards either player, which makes it an interesting subject of study in combinatorial game theory.

Game Components of Kayles

A row of tokens, which represent bowling pins.

Game Setup of Kayles

The row of tokens can be of any length.

Gameplay Mechanics of Kayles

Players take turns to knock out either one pin or two adjacent pins until all the pins are gone.

Game Objective of Kayles

Under the normal play convention, a player loses when they have no legal move (that is, when all the pins are gone). The game can also be played using misère rules; in this case, the player who cannot move wins.

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