A 2-Person Game Decomposing 2-Manifolds

Abstract

Two players play a game by alternately splitting a surface of a compact $2$-manifold along a simple closed curve that is not null-homotopic and attaching disks to the resulting boundary; the last player who can move wins. Starting from an orientable surface, the $G$-series is $01\dot{2}\dot{0}$ according to increasing genus. Starting from a nonorientable surface, the $G$-series is $012\dot{4}60\dot{3}$ according to increasing genus. Nim addition determines the $G$-values of the remaining compact $2$-manifolds.