Troll Trouble

You have been captured by an evil troll. The troll doesn’t have much to do besides capture people, so to amuse itself it’s made a bargain with you: you are to play a certain game with the troll, and if you win, you go free.

The game starts with a pile of 50 pebbles. Players take turns removing either 1 or 2 pebbles from the pile. The player to take away the last pebble from the pile loses the game.

It’s your move. What’s your strategy to ensure you win the game?

The solution can be found here. Happy puzzling!

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