Game of replacing array elements

Last Updated : 03 Oct, 2022

There are two players A and B who are interested in playing a game of numbers. In each move a player pick two distinct number, let’s say a1 and a2 and then replace all a2 by a1 or a1 by a2. They stop playing game if any one of them is unable to pick two number and the player who is unable to pick two distinct number in an array, loses the game. First player always move first and then second. Task is to find which player wins.

Examples:

Input: arr[] = { 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 }
Output: Player 2 wins
Explanation:
First plays always loses irrespective of the numbers chosen by him. For example,
say first player picks ( 1 & 3) replace all 3 by 1
Now array Become { 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 }
Then second player picks ( 1 & 2 )
either he replace 1 by 2 or 2 by 1
Array Become { 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 }
Now first player is not able to choose.

Input: arr[] = { 1, 2, 1, 2 }
Output: Player 1 wins

From above examples, we can observe that if number of count of distinct element is even, first player always wins. Else second player wins.

Lets take an another example :

  int arr[] =  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Here number of distinct element is even(n). If player 1 pick any two number lets say (4, 1), then we left with n-1 distinct element. So player second left with n-1 distinct element. This process go on until distinct element become 1. Here n = 6

Player   :  P1    p2    P1   p2    P1     P2     distinct : [n, n-1, n-2, n-3, n-4, n-5 ]     "At this point no distinct element left,  so p2 is unable to pick two Dis element."

Below implementation of the above idea :

C++

   // CPP program for Game of Replacement
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
 
// Function return which player win the game
int playGame(int arr[], int n)
{
    // Create hash that will stores
    // all distinct element
    unordered_set<int> hash;
 
    // Traverse an array element
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
        hash.insert(arr[i]);
 
    return (hash.size() % 2 == 0 ? 1 : 2);
}
 
// Driver Function
int main()
{
    int arr[] = { 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2 };
    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
 
    cout << "Player " << playGame(arr, n) << " Wins" << endl;
    return 0;
}
 
  

Java

   // Java program for Game of Replacement 
import java.util.HashSet;
public class GameOfReplacingArrayElements 
{
    // Function return which player win the game 
    public static int playGame(int arr[])
    {
        // Create hash that will stores 
        // all distinct element 
        HashSet<Integer> set=new HashSet<>();
 
        // Traverse an array element 
        for(int i:arr)
            set.add(i);
        return (set.size()%2==0)?1:2;
    }
 
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        int arr[] = { 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2 }; 
        System.out.print("Player "+playGame(arr)+" wins");
    }
}
//This code is contributed by Gaurav Tiwari
 
  

Python3

   # Python program for Game of Replacement 
 
# Function return which player win the game 
def playGame(arr, n):
 
    # Create hash that will stores 
    # all distinct element 
    s = set()
 
    # Traverse an array element 
    for i in range(n):
        s.add(arr[i])
    return 1 if len(s) % 2 == 0 else 2
 
# Driver code
arr = [1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2]
n = len(arr)
print("Player",playGame(arr, n),"Wins")
 
# This code is contributed by Shrikant13
 
  

C#

   // C# program for Game of Replacement 
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
 
public class GameOfReplacingArrayElements 
{
    // Function return which player win the game 
    public static int playGame(int []arr)
    {
        // Create hash that will stores 
        // all distinct element 
        HashSet<int> set = new HashSet<int>();
 
        // Traverse an array element 
        foreach(int i in arr)
            set.Add(i);
        return (set.Count % 2 == 0) ? 1 : 2;
    }
 
    // Driver code
    public static void Main(String []args)
    {
        int []arr = { 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2 }; 
        Console.Write("Player " + playGame(arr) + " wins");
    }
}
 
// This code has been contributed by 29AjayKumar
 
  

Javascript

   <script>
 
// Javascript program for Game of Replacement
 
// Function return which player win the game
function playGame(arr, n)
{
 
    // Create hash that will stores
    // all distinct element
    var hash = new Set();
 
    // Traverse an array element
    for (var i = 0; i < n; i++)
        hash.add(arr[i]);
 
    return (hash.size % 2 == 0 ? 1 : 2);
}
 
// Driver Function
var arr = [1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2];
var n = arr.length;
document.write( "Player " + playGame(arr, n) + " Wins" );
 
// This code is contributed by importantly.
</script>
 
  

Output

Player 1 Wins

Time Complexity: O(n)

Auxiliary Space: O(n)

Find the winner of the Game of removing odd or replacing even array elements

Nishant_Singh

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Practice Tags :

Game of replacing array elements

C++

Java

Python3

C#

Javascript

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