LeetCode 877 Stone Game - Problem Statement

$n$ piles of stones. Two players take turns removing a pile from either end. Find the largest your score. $dp[i][j]$ = max score difference (my score. Opponent's) for piles $i..j$.

Positive means I win. Transition: $dp[i][j] = \max(piles[i] - dp[i+1][j], piles[j] - dp[i][j-1])$. Take left or right, subtract opponent's best. The subtraction handles alternating turns. If $dp[0][n-1] > 0$, first player wins. This is a classic game theory problem that can be solved with interval DP. The state captures optimal play.