1998 CEMC Gauss (Grade 7) Problems/Problem 19
Problem
Juan and Mary play a two-person game in which the winner gains 2 points and the loser loses 1 point. If Juan won exactly 3 games and Mary had a final score of 5 points, how many games did they play?
Solution
If Juan won 3 games, then Mary lost 3 points. Mary must have had points at the start, meaning she won 4 games. This makes a total of games.