NYMPHABET

A take-away word game for 2

Preparation

Write out the alphabet from A to Z.

Object

Each player in turn writes a word in accordance with the rules given below, and whoever writes the last word loses.

Play

The first word must begin with A, which is duly crossed off the alphabet as having been used. If it also contains a B, the B is deleted; if it also contains a C somewhere after the B, C is deleted. So is any D following the C, and so on.

For example, the first word might be ALL, deleting A; or ABLE, deleting A and B; or ABACK deleting A, B and C; or ABDICATED, deleting all four letters from A to D. (Note that ABDICATE only deletes up to C, because the D comes before it and therefore does not count.)

The second player's first word must begin with the next undeleted letter of the alphabet. As before, any letters consecutive to it are deleted provided that they occur in correct sequence in the word.

Here's a sample game:

1st player	2nd player
ABack	DEFyinG
HIJacK	LaMiNatiOn
PiQue	ReSTaUrant
VoW	XYlophone
Zip (loses)

Improving the game

You'll soon discover that whoever deletes up to U wins the game. (Unless the other can find a word beginning with V that also eliminates W and X, since V alone loses when followed by WaXY.) Further backtracking along these lines shows that whoever eliminates up to P wins - unless there is a Q-word that also eliminates R, S, T, and U, and I have yet to find one. When you have carried out further researches and discovered that one player has an inbuilt advantage, you will look for ways of opening up the game again. Here are two possibilities.

Cyclic variant

Regard the alphabet as cyclic - that is, with A following in sequence from Z. The game is played as before, except that (a) the first player may begin anywhere in the alphabet and (b) whoever writes the last word wins. For example:

1st player	2nd player
MeNtiOn	PiQue
ReSTaUrant	VoW
PiQue	XYlem
ZeAl	Backed
EFfiGy	HIp
JacKaL (wins)

Scoring variant

Also cyclic, but this time the winner is the player who makes the larger score, regardless of who writes the last word. For this purpose you make a note of how many letters you delete at each turn, and at end of play calculate your final score by multiplying them all together. For example:

1st player	2nd player
QueeReST	UVula
WaXY	ZABaglione
CeDE	FiGHtIng
JacKaL	MiNOrshiP

In this case the first player scores 4 x 3 x 2 x 3 = 72, but the second wins with 2 x 3 x 4 x 4 = 96.