Basic rules: There are 21 flags; players must take 1,2,or 3 flags at each turn. The team that takes the last flag wins the challenge.
Who has the winning strategy, the first or second mover?
What is the strategy?
Brief plot summary: Vizzini, the henchman of the evil prince Humperdinck, has kidnapped Princess Buttercup. Our hero, Westley (the Man in Black), has caught up with him and challenged him to a battle of wits -- there are two goblets of wine and some poison involved.
Duel of Wits
The script for the critical scene from beginning to end.
(You can rent the DVD from the Highland Library or most video rental places)
Vizzini thinks a good deal about his strategy. Could he have come up with a better one?
They go on to explain why the game theory in the movie stinks, and why the problem is interesting nevertheless.