Nim is often taught with just the winning moves, and there's no effort to teach WHY those are the winning moves.

Over the past week, I've posted 3 blog entries on how to analyze the various forms of Nim:
The Secrets of Nim (Part 1)
The Secrets of Nim (Part 2)
The Secrets of Nim (Part 3)

Between the three of them, they cover both single-pile and multi-pile nim, and standard and misere versions of both. There's plenty of videos, exercises, and links to help you understand, so you can learn to get the best advantage in any Nim game that you can.

I'd love to hear any comments and suggestions you have.

Very nice,thanks for sharing this.

Your site is awesome... and every post I have read rom you has been informative. Thank you for the cool stuff.

Scott, that's the best source of information on Nim I've ever seen.

Previously, I've only seen a page or two in my old Nick Trost books, and a few other equally slim reports in a few other volumes.......but nothing nearly as complete as what you've shared.

I proo read everything I write. How does a " " disappear long a ter I have posted. Is someone ucking with me?

Thanks for all the kind words!

I just posted the last part of the series:
The Secrets of Nim (Wrap-up)

Cool thanks for that.

Scott, you are a way cool feller....that is a hip way of saying dude.

Again, thanks for all the compliments!

Since I've received so many positive responses, I've taken an extra step, and created a new tool for Nim fans.

Check out my new FREE online Nim Strategy Calculator! The instructions for usage are here, but I've tried to make the data entry and responses done in plain, simple language, so that it's easy to understand and use right away.

You can have lots of fun changing around the rules of various versions of Nim, and seeing the effects on your strategy. You can even use it to cheat with the "Next Move?" calculator (only for multi-pile Nim).

Scott, in one fell swoop you've created the finest Nim resource in the world!

Thankyou very much

Silverking, and Back No 67, thank you for the compliments!

Today, I added yet another post in the series: Fibonacci Nim

This is great man!

Thanks!

Werner Miller recently e-mailed me with a great twist on Nim that he developed over 30 years ago!

If you have a person who knows the strategy for single-pile Nim, you can still beat him. How? You ask your opponent to decide who goes first, and change the number of objects that can be taken on each move based on that decision.

I explain this in more detail in my Wise-Guy Nim post. To make it easier to devise your own versions of this approach, I've added a Wise-Guy Nim tab to the Nim Strategy Calculator.

Update: I've moved the Nim Strategy Calculator to a new URL: http://gmmentalgym.blogspot.com/2010/11/......tor.html

Ever since I saw the movie "Last Year at Mariebad", I have been looking for the answer.
Thanks Scott,I just hope the general public does not finds out or it becomes pointless.

Jerry

You're welcome, Jerry! (For those wondering, here are the Nim scenes from Last Year at Marienbad - although I think one is missing.)

BTW, you mentioned in another thread you were having some problems with links on my blog. Please let me know what they are!

Oh, and for the Nim lovers, check out my newest post in the series: Chocolate Nim

This is amazing. Thank you very much for putting all this together.

Fantastic resource, thanks for all the effort in collection, analysing and posting this. Well done!
:)

I'm glad to see this is being so well received! It's nice to know that people are finding it useful.