River Crossing Game

Definition and Gameplay

The River Crossing Game is a dice game for two players. In the middle of the board is a river, with docks on each side. These docks are numbered from 1 to 12.Two six-sided dice are used to play the game.

Each player places chips, representing people or cargo, on the docks. The docks may have multiple chips, or no chips.

On a "turn", the dice are rolled. The numbers on the dice are added, and all chips are removed from the dock with same number as the sum.

The game ends when one side of the river has no more chips; the player with no chips remaining is the winner.

The Math

Even though each game played is random (i.e. decided by the dice), the probability that one side wins over the other can actually be computed.

References

• Goering, D., & Canada, D. (2007). The River Crossing Game. Mathematics Magazine, 80(1), 3-15. Retreived from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27642986
• Bramhall, T. (n.d.). The River Crossing Game. Retreived from https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=statsp