The Poisoned Corner King
A single king sits on an 8×8 chessboard whose corner square is a1. Players alternate moving it one step left, one step down, or one step diagonally down-left (never off the board). The player who moves the king onto a1 loses. (This is the misère form of the usual game, in which that player would win.) The king is placed on one of the 63 squares other than a1, and the first player must move. For how many of those 63 starting squares does the first player lose with optimal play by both sides? Answer with an integer.
Related problems & prerequisites
Worth solving first
- Exits from a Wythoff Position 6.0/10
- Fibonacci Nim 6.0/10
- A Ladder with Steps 1, 3 and 4 6.0/10
Source: Misere variant of the classic king-to-the-corner game. Statement written for AxiomIQ.