"HEX" GAME

The Hex game was independently invented by Swedish mathematician Piet Hein and American mathematician John Nash (pictured), the one who became known for having his life told in the movie “Bright Mind”.

It sounds incredible, but in this game there is no possible tie!

In 2003, Jing Yang, Simon Liao and Mirek Pawlak found a winning strategy for the first player for sized boards, 7X7, 8X8 and 9X9. A solution to the general case is still being sought. Up for a game?

Attention: To form the path it is not necessary to have it always connected, it is enough that it forms at the end. You can start, for example, with pieces on both sides and close it in the middle. On this board, the red pieces have won. Do you see the path?

In the next images, photographed by Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton, we have an example of a Hex match! Would you make the same moves or know a better strategy? Can you clearly identify the winner's path?

USEFUL LINKS

This Wikipedia page talks about the Hex game, explaining its history, its rules, the winning strategy, the proof that there is no tie, among other things. In addition, it brings some variants of the game and what each one is different from the original version!

This GeoGebra material offers a model of the game to be printed by you, in case you don't have the opportunity to play at Matemateca. At the end of the page, an online version of the game is also brought, which can be played by 2 people, if they are together.

This file about geometric games and activities brings several games that can be used by teachers in the classroom, to help students better understand the contents explained. One of the games present in the archive is, of course, Hex.

This VemKaJogar channel video explains the Hex game and what its instructions are, that is, how to play it. The video brings a more playful view of the game, making the dynamics of each match more understandable.

This Wikipedia page talks about Game Theory, presenting the types of games, experiences with such theory, as well as citing and describing various uses of it, such as in economics, biology, computer science, philosophy, among others.

The prisoner's dilemma is a very important problem in game theory, presented in this Wikipedia page. In it, this dilemma is explained and similar games and applications in the real life, in addition to a psychological analysis.