Nim
Ancient two-player counter game — take one or more from any single row; the player forced to take the last piece loses (misère version).
What is Nim?
Nim is a mathematical strategy game of ancient origin (played in China well before it reached Europe). Two players face several rows of counters (matches, coins, pebbles). On each turn a player must take at least one counter from a single row. In the standard version the player taking the last counter wins; in the misère version, they lose. Charles Bouton at Harvard solved Nim completely in 1901 using binary XOR arithmetic — a landmark result of combinatorial game theory.
Quick facts
Category
Puzzle Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇳 China
Estimated origin
Ancient origins; mathematically solved 1901 by Harvard's Charles Bouton
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional