Code RoomOptimal coin game score
HardPrep Room Coding #1464

Optimal coin game score

CodingAlgorithms & data structuresSenior–Staff~30 min

A line of coins is given by 'coins', each with a positive value. Two players alternate; on each turn a player removes a coin from either the left or right end and keeps its value. Both play optimally to maximize their own total. The first player moves first. Return the maximum score difference (first player minus second player) achievable under optimal play. 1 <= len(coins) <= 500, 1 <= coins[i] <= 10^4.

Implement
coins_in_line(coins: list[int]) → int
Examples
in[[8,15,3,7]]out11
What a strong answer looks like

State your approach and its time/space complexity out loud before you optimize. Handle the edge cases (empty input, duplicates, overflow), and say why you chose this over the brute force. Green tests are the floor, not the grade.

0:00 of about 30 min
InputExpectedGot
[[8,15,3,7]]11not run yetsample