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Another backgammon puzzle

Posted By: Chuck Bower
Date: Tuesday, 5 March 2013, at 5:52 p.m.

In Response To: Another backgammon puzzle (Mochy)

So if the game is not an infinite, the number of the games is not infinite as well. Is it?

If there existed a number N such that every backgammon game takes less than N moves then you are correct. (I don't remember if it was Timothy, Jason, or UBK that pointed this out to me. So they all get credit. :)

Jason's refinement of David L.'s proof here:

http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=138223

best (IMO) explains why the number is infinite. Any repeating position can be repeated an arbitrarily (large) number of times.

Messages In This Thread

• Another backgammon puzzle
  Chuck Bower -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:02 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Jason Lee -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:45 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Bob Koca -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:45 a.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Chuck Bower -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 3:03 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Phil Simborg -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:56 a.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Jason Lee -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 2:11 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    David Levy -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 4:49 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    lenny -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 7:23 a.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    TarHeelFan -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 11:19 a.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Chase -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 12:10 p.m.
      • Another backgammon puzzle
        Jason Lee -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:48 p.m.
        • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
          David Levy -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 4:12 p.m.
          • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
            Jason Lee -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 10:10 p.m.
            • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
              Bob Koca -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 11:55 p.m.
              • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
                Steve Mellen -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 10:18 p.m.
                • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
                  Jason Lee -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 10:52 p.m.
                  • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
                    Steve Mellen -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 11:13 p.m.
                    • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
                      Jason Lee -- Sunday, 3 March 2013, at 1:26 a.m.
                • Another backgammon puzzle: more serious effort
                  Timothy Chow -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 11:00 p.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Jason Lee -- Friday, 1 March 2013, at 1:50 p.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Timothy Chow -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 1:06 a.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Timothy Chow -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 2:52 a.m.
      • Third attempt
        Timothy Chow -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 3:43 a.m.
        • Third attempt
          Bob koca -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 8:33 p.m.
          • Third attempt
            Jason Lee -- Saturday, 2 March 2013, at 10:58 p.m.
        • Third attempt
          Bob Koca -- Sunday, 3 March 2013, at 2:36 a.m.
        • Third attempt
          Tom Keith -- Sunday, 3 March 2013, at 5:46 p.m.
          • Third attempt
            playBunny -- Sunday, 3 March 2013, at 7:54 p.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Bob Koca -- Sunday, 3 March 2013, at 11:57 p.m.
  • Another backgammon puzzle
    Mochy -- Tuesday, 5 March 2013, at 4:48 p.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Chuck Bower -- Tuesday, 5 March 2013, at 5:52 p.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Tom Keith -- Tuesday, 5 March 2013, at 6:45 p.m.
    • Another backgammon puzzle
      Timothy Chow -- Friday, 8 March 2013, at 11:33 p.m.