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The famous powers of two

Source:

October 23, 2024
combinatoricsChile

Problem Statement

Emilia and Julieta have a pile of 2024 cards and play the following game: they take turns, and each player removes a number of cards that must be a power of two, i.e., 1,2,4,8,1, 2, 4, 8, \dots. The player who removes the last card wins. Julieta starts the game. Prove that there exists a strategy for Julieta that guarantees her victory, no matter how Emilia plays.