Place a penny on the picture of the fox and dime on the picture of the goose. On
ID: 3005619 • Letter: P
Question
Place a penny on the picture of the fox and dime on the picture of the goose. One player moves the fox, the other moves the goose. A “move” consists of sliding the coin from one dot to an adjacent dot, along a black time. The fox tries to capture the goose by moving onto the spot occupied by the goose. The goose tries to prevent this. If the fox captures the goose in ten moves or less (this is, ten of the fox’s moves), then he wins. If he fails to capture the goose in ten moves, the goose wins.
Now, if the goose had the first move it would be very easy for the fox to trap her in that lower left corner of the board.But in this game the fox must always move first. this seems to give the goose a good chance to escape being caught.
Can the fox always capture the goose in ten moves, if he pays correctly, or can the goose always get away? Describe in detail at least two games. Is this a fair game if so, explain. If not, how would you change the game in order for both sides to have a chance.
Explanation / Answer
The fox can always capture the goose in less than ten moves.
This is how it's done:
His first three moves must take him around one of the two triangles in the center of the board.After completing
this circuit, it is then a simple matter for him to trap the goose in a corner square before his ten moves are up.
typical game
Move Fox Goose 1 16 32 2 22 33 3 21 27 4 22 33 5 28 32 6 27 31 7 26 25 8 25 (Wins)