A Proof of the Albert-Grossman-Nowakowski-Wolfe Alternating Linear Clobber ConjectureOberseminar Discrete Optimization

by Ryan Hayward (University of Alberta)

Monday Sep 15, 2025, 6:15 PM → 7:15 PM Europe/Berlin

Arithmeum, Lennéstr., 2 - Seminarraum (Arithmeum / Research Institute for Discrete Mathematics)

Clobber is an alternate-turn two-player board game introduced in 2001 by Albert, Grossman, Nowakowski and Wolfe (AGNW). Alternating Linear Clobber (ALC) is clobber with starting position a non-empty even-length alternating-color path. In 2004 AGNW conjectured that, except for start position oxoxox, the first player can win ALC. We prove their conjecture.

This is joint work with Xinyue Chen, Taylor Folkersen, Kamillah Hasham, David Lee, Owen Randall, Luke Schultz, and Emily Vandermeer.

 

The Oberseminar takes place in the Seminarraum, 2^nd floor. Participants are invited to have coffee or tea in the lounge before.