Who Wins


The rules of the game are as follows:
Make three piles of matches, the first pile has 3 matches, the second 4, the third 5
Each player takes turns picking as many matches as they like from any single pile
The player who picks up the last match is the loser.

Given perfect playing does the first or second player to start win?


If you are unsure of your answer you can request confirmation by emailing me at the address shown here. Please state which problem you need confirmation on clearly. Please do not email me simply for answers, the enjoyment derived from a puzzle is proportional to the time spent on it.

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