MathDB
Avoid losing the game

Source: EGMO 2023/4

April 16, 2023
EGMO 2023EGMOcombinatoricsgameilostthegame

Problem Statement

Turbo the snail sits on a point on a circle with circumference 11. Given an infinite sequence of positive real numbers c1,c2,c3,c_1, c_2, c_3, \dots, Turbo successively crawls distances c1,c2,c3,c_1, c_2, c_3, \dots around the circle, each time choosing to crawl either clockwise or counterclockwise. Determine the largest constant C>0C > 0 with the following property: for every sequence of positive real numbers c1,c2,c3,c_1, c_2, c_3, \dots with ci<Cc_i < C for all ii, Turbo can (after studying the sequence) ensure that there is some point on the circle that it will never visit or crawl across.