Mathematicians created five 60-sided dice to solve an apparently simple problem: deciding who goes first in a game. The usual process requires each player to roll a die, the highest number wins, and if there is a tie, they roll again. James Ernest, a board game designer, asked Professor Eric Harshbarger from Auburn University in the United States if it would be possible to eliminate this extra step of ties.
The answer proved unexpectedly complex. Nearly 15 years of work, collaboration with researchers from various countries, and considerable computational power were needed to arrive at a solution. The result was the creation of five specially designed 60-sided dice.
The initial conversation took place in 2010, during a games convention. Ernest challenged Harshbarger to find a way to determine a winner without the need for ties. The article was cut off before providing more details about the solution found.
