I got two correct answers for the puzzle – no surprise that Tishyaa was one of them, and I also got an answer from Alok Kuchlous immediately after I posted the puzzle – thanks!

The answer was relatively simple – for a pile of n stones, you can make n-1 moves, therefore for the three piles, you can make 42 moves. Given that this is an even number, the one who plays first will lose. Here is the answer explained in a video for kids.

http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/solution-to-puzzle-18/8643213/?s=NYldaQ&ref=link

Hope you enjoyed this!