Puzzles, games and puzzle hunts · Maths CAS idea
Run a game-theory tournament
Creativity
Organise a tournament of a repeated strategy game (such as a repeated prisoner's dilemma) between student-written strategies, then present what won and why.
Where the maths comes in
Payoff tables, repeated games and simple strategy analysis.
Which CAS strand it fits
- Creativity: The arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
Your CAS coordinator decides how an experience counts at your school. Strand summaries are provisional (our words, being checked).
How to run it
- Write the rules and a scoring system.
- Invite entries as written strategies or simple code.
- Run the tournament and analyse the results.
- Present the findings at a club or assembly.
How to evidence it
- Rules and entries
- Results and analysis
- Presentation and audience questions
Date everything and keep it in your school's CAS portfolio as you go. More on what counts as evidence.
Reflection prompts
Questions to think about, not answers to copy. Write your reflections in your own words, in whatever form your school accepts.
- What did the winning strategy suggest about cooperation?
- How did you keep the tournament fair?
- What surprised you in the results?
Learning outcomes this often gives a chance to show
- Challenge and new skills. What could you not do at the start that you can do now? Which moment felt most uncomfortable, and what did you do next?
- Ethics. What choice in this experience had a right and a wrong way to do it? Whose interests did you have to protect (privacy, safety, fairness), and how?
- Initiative and planning. What did you plan, and what did you have to change once you started? Who did you need to ask for permission or help, and how did you go about it?
Whether you meet an outcome depends on what you actually do and reflect on, not on the idea. Outcome labels are our short summaries, being checked.
Safety and ethics
- Keep entries anonymous if participants prefer.
Agree every plan with your CAS coordinator first. Safety and ethics for maths CAS.
For puzzle ideas to adapt (never copy), browse competition maths.