Nim

Nim is a term used to refer to more than one topic in mathematics and computer science, most notably Nim (game) and Nim (programming language).

Nim (game) is an impartial two‑player mathematical strategy game. It starts with several heaps of objects, and players take turns removing any positive number of objects from a single heap. The player who takes the last object wins under normal play. The winning strategy depends on the nim-sum, the bitwise XOR of all heap sizes: if the nim-sum is zero, the next player is in a losing position with optimal play; otherwise a move exists to make the nim-sum zero. The game has many variants, including misère Nim, where the last move rules differ. Nim is a classic subject in combinatorial game theory and was analyzed in detail by Charles Bouton in 1901.

Nim (programming language) is a statically typed, compiled programming language designed for efficiency, expressiveness, and clarity. It was created by Andreas Rumpf in the 2000s and was originally named Nimrod before being renamed Nim. Nim emphasizes readable syntax similar to Python while delivering system programming capabilities. It compiles to C, C++, or JavaScript and supports multiple backends for cross‑compilation. The language includes a powerful macro system, templates for generic programming, and a rich standard library. The ecosystem includes the nimble package manager for libraries and tools. Nim aims to combine performance with high‑level abstractions and a small, predictable runtime.