olymmath

IMO 2025 Problem 5

  • Day 2
  • Algebra
  • Answer

Alice and Bazza are playing the inekoalaty game, a two-player game whose rules depend on a positive real number λ\lambda which is known to both players. On the nnth turn of the game (starting with n=1n = 1) the following happens:

  • If nn is odd, Alice chooses a nonnegative real number xnx_n such that x1+x2+⋯+xn⩽λn.x_1 + x_2 + \cdots + x_n \leqslant \lambda n.
  • If nn is even, Bazza chooses a nonnegative real number xnx_n such that x12+x22+⋯+xn2⩽n.x_1^2 + x_2^2 + \cdots + x_n^2 \leqslant n.

If a player cannot choose a suitable number xnx_n, the game ends and the other player wins. If the game goes on forever, neither player wins. All chosen numbers are known to both players.

Determine all values of λ\lambda for which Alice has a winning strategy and all those for which Bazza has a winning strategy.

Official text IMO 2025 official English paper, page 2. Quoted with source.

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Alice has a winning strategy if and only if λ>12\lambda > \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}, and Bazza has a winning strategy if and only if λ<12\lambda < \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}.

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