We will first define a function f:N×Z≥0→{0,1}, where Z≥0 indicates the non-negative integers, and then show that if the current player is faced with a particular pair of values (m,n) then that player has a guaranteed win if f(m,n)=1 but a guaranteed loss if f(m,n)=0, both under the assumption that the winner makes the right moves. The definition will also indicate a winning strategy in all cases.
In our definition of f, we implicitly assume that m,n are integers with m>0 and n≥0 whenever we define f(m,n). We first define f(m,n) for m=1:
f(1,n):={0,1,n even,n odd.(7)
We next define f(m,n) for m>1 and n≤m:
f(m,n):={0,1,n<m−1,m−1≤n≤m.(8)
We call the values of f defined above the *initial values of f*. The remaining values f(m,n) are defined iteratively as follows, where we implicitly assume that n>m>1.
f(m,n):={0,1,if f(k,n−k)=1 for k=m and k=m−1otherwise.(9)
We claim that the above partial definitions give a consistent definition of f on its full domain. First note that (7), (8), and (9) apply to non-overlapping sets of values (n,m), so they are clearly consistent with each other, and it is similarly clear that each is internally consistent.
It remains to check that they provide a consistent definition f(m,n) for each allowable m,n. This is clear for m=1 and for n≤m, so suppose n>m>1. Assume that f(i,j) is already consistently defined if either i<m or i=m and j<n. Equation (9) then defines f(m,n) in terms of f(m,n−m) and f(m−1,n−m+1). Thus, the definition is extended consistently to f(m,n). By induction on n, we have defined f(m,n) for all n∈Z≥0, and now by induction on m, we have defined f(m,n) for all allowable values of (m,n). Next, we show that f has the desired interpretation. First, (7) reflects the fact that with m=1, the game is predetermined because there is no choice: players take turns removing one counter after another and parity shows that the winner corresponds to the values of f(1,n).
Finally, we show inductively that (9) correctly indicates the winner in the remaining cases. Assuming that f(i,j) correctly indicates the winner both for i<m and for i=m when j<n, then f(k,n−k)=1 for k∈{m,m−1} indicates that both of these are winning positions so, faced with initial parameters (m,n), the current player is forced to hand a winning position to the opponent.
On the other hand, if f(k,n−k)=0 for some k∈{m,m−1}, then the player can remove k counters to hand a losing position to the other player. (If both values are 0, then either move works.) We have shown that the values of f(m,n) indicate the winner and provide a winning strategy.
Let us note two implications that follow from (9) and which we will use repeatedly:
f(m,n−m)f(m−1,n−m+1)=1=1⇒f(m,n)⇒f(m,n)=1−f(m−1,n−m+1),=1−f(m,n−m).
Let us show that
f(2,n)={0,1,n divisible by 4,otherwise.(10)
In fact, if n is odd, then f(2,n)=1 because f(1,n−1)=0 by (7). If n>0 is even, then f(1,n−1)=1, so f(2,n)=1−f(2,n−2). In view of the initial values f(2,0)=0 and f(2,2)=1, we get the desired values of f. We next show that
f(3,n)={1,0,n=3 or (n>0 and n even),otherwise.(11)
The initial values give us (11) for n≤3, so we suppose inductively that the equation in (11) holds as long as n<4k for some k∈N. Since f(2,4k)=0, we have f(3,4k+2)=1. As for f(3,n) for n∈{4k,4k+1,4k+3}, in each of these cases f(2,n−2)=1 and so f(3,n)=1−f(3,n−3).
For n=4k, we inductively have f(3,n−3)=f(3,4n−3)=0, so f(3,4k)=1−0=1. This in turn implies that f(3,4k+3)=1−1=0. Similarly, f(3,4k+1−3)=1, so f(3,4k+1)=1−1=0. This completes the inductive step (from n<4k to n<4(k+1)), so (11) is fully valid.
We next show that
f(4,n)={0,1,n<3 or n≡±1(mod8),otherwise.(12)
The initial values give us (12) for n≤4, so we suppose that n>4. We get f(4,6)=1 because f(4,2)=0. For even n>6, we get f(4,n)=1 because f(3,n−3)=0.
Suppose therefore that n>4 is odd. Since f(3,n−3)=1, we have f(4,n)=1−f(4,n−4). This equation plus the above initial values give us f(4,k) for all odd k>4.
We now have useful formulae for f(m,n) for all 1≤m≤4 and n≥0. For Alice to have a guaranteed win, she must choose the value of n≥2024 so that f(m,n)=1 for each m∈{2,3,4}. By our above formulae, m=2 rules out n=2024, while m=3 rules out n=2025. However, n=2026 has the desired properties, so that is our answer. More generally, for n>3 we can say that f(2,n)=f(3,n)=f(4,n)=1(mod4).