Change is good: I
You will play the following game with one other player and a roll of fifty pennies.
Each player must take one to six pennies from the roll on alternating turns.
The player who takes the fiftieth penny loses.
You go first.
How many pennies should you remove on your first turn? Why?
(from a game magazine)
Change is good: II
The director of the U.S. mint challenges you to the following game:
1) No quarter may touch any other quarter.
Should you go first or second?
What should your strategy be?
(from an online puzzle site)