lastonewins

Lastonewins is a rule or principle used in games and competitions in which the winner is the player who makes the final legal action in a round, move sequence, or submission. Under this rule, play ends when no legal moves remain, and the player who made the last move is declared the winner. The term is commonly used to describe mechanisms in tabletop games, puzzle challenges, and certain digital game modes that emphasize decisive, end-state outcomes.

In formal terms, lastonewins corresponds to the normal-play convention in impartial combinatorial game theory. It is contrasted with misère play, where the last move loses. The strategic aim is to leave the opponent with no winning reply, thereby ensuring the current player makes the final move. Many standard take-away or removal games illustrate simple modular strategies; for example, in a pile of N stones where players may remove 1 to 3 stones, the first player can force a win whenever N is not a multiple of 4 by reducing the pile to a multiple of 4 on each turn.

Variations of the rule arise from changing the allowed moves, the number of piles, or the presence of timing constraints. Regardless of form, lastonewins centers on a clear terminal condition and a definitive winner, shaping both game design and player strategy.