Semiclassical Mastermind

Games are often used in the classroom to teach mathematical and physical concepts. Yet the available activities used to introduce quantum mechanics are often overwhelming even to upper-level students. Further, the games in question range in focus and complexity from superficial introductions to games where quantum strategies result in decidedly nonclassical advantages, making it nearly impossible for people interested in quantum mechanics to have a simple introduction to the topic. In this talk, we introduce a straightforward and newly developed Semiclassical Mastermind based on the original version of mastermind but replace the colored pegs with 6 possible qubits (x+, x-, y+, y-, z+, z-). We allow the user to make 9 guesses with 1 final answer, forcing the user to make strategies to have the best chance of getting a correct answer. We report on the mathematical analysis of three strategies for play and conclude by previewing how a quantum player could potentially outperform even optimal classical players