Usenet Newsgroups : rec.puzzles Hall of FameThe rec.puzzles Hall of Fame is a compilation of over 500 of the most popular puzzles that have been posted and discussed in the rec.puzzles newsgroup. In most cases a detailed solution has been provided. Many of these puzzles also appear in Braingle's own collection. |
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Monty and Waldo play a game with N closed boxes. Monty hides a dollar in one box; the others are empty. Monty opens the empty boxes one by one. When there are only two boxes left Waldo opens either box; he wins if it contains the dollar. Prior to each of the N-2 box openings Waldo chooses one box and locks it, preventing Monty from opening it next. That box is then unlocked and cannot be so locked twice in a row. What are the optimal strategies for Monty and Waldo and what is the fair price for Waldo to pay to play the game?
Solution
