Chopsticks (hand game)
Chopsticks (hand game)
- Chopsticks (sometimes called Splits, Calculator, or just Sticks**) is a hand game for two or more players, in which players extend a number of fingers from each hand and transfer those scores by taking turns tapping one hand against another. Chopsticks is an example of a combinatorial game, and is [[solved-game|solved]] in the sense that, with perfect play, an optimal strategy from any point is known.
In the basic game for two players, each starts with two points—with one finger of each hand extended. Players then take turns, and on each turn must either:
(1) "Attack” by tapping either of the opponent's hands, adding points to it. The point value (number of extended fingers) of the tapping hand gets added to the opponent's tapped hand, and the opponent extends one or more additional fingers accordingly. For example, two fingers tapped by one finger become three fingers (2 + 1 = 3). The point value of the tapping hand stays the same. In basic play, any sum greater than five "knocks out" the tapped hand, reducing it to zero points. By convention, a dead hand is moved behind the player's back, out of sight. Stumps / Knubs*: If a player is at [01], it is legal to split into [0.5 0.5], represented by curling a finger down halfway.