LeetCode #1688 — EASY

Count of Matches in Tournament

Build confidence with an intuition-first walkthrough focused on math fundamentals.

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The Problem

Problem Statement

You are given an integer n, the number of teams in a tournament that has strange rules:

If the current number of teams is even, each team gets paired with another team. A total of n / 2 matches are played, and n / 2 teams advance to the next round.
If the current number of teams is odd, one team randomly advances in the tournament, and the rest gets paired. A total of (n - 1) / 2 matches are played, and (n - 1) / 2 + 1 teams advance to the next round.

Return the number of matches played in the tournament until a winner is decided.

Example 1:

Input: n = 7
Output: 6
Explanation: Details of the tournament: 
- 1st Round: Teams = 7, Matches = 3, and 4 teams advance.
- 2nd Round: Teams = 4, Matches = 2, and 2 teams advance.
- 3rd Round: Teams = 2, Matches = 1, and 1 team is declared the winner.
Total number of matches = 3 + 2 + 1 = 6.

Example 2:

Input: n = 14
Output: 13
Explanation: Details of the tournament:
- 1st Round: Teams = 14, Matches = 7, and 7 teams advance.
- 2nd Round: Teams = 7, Matches = 3, and 4 teams advance.
- 3rd Round: Teams = 4, Matches = 2, and 2 teams advance.
- 4th Round: Teams = 2, Matches = 1, and 1 team is declared the winner.
Total number of matches = 7 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 13.

Constraints:

1 <= n <= 200

Step 01

Brute Force Baseline

Problem summary: You are given an integer n, the number of teams in a tournament that has strange rules: If the current number of teams is even, each team gets paired with another team. A total of n / 2 matches are played, and n / 2 teams advance to the next round. If the current number of teams is odd, one team randomly advances in the tournament, and the rest gets paired. A total of (n - 1) / 2 matches are played, and (n - 1) / 2 + 1 teams advance to the next round. Return the number of matches played in the tournament until a winner is decided.

Baseline thinking

Start with the most direct exhaustive search. That gives a correctness anchor before optimizing.

Pattern signal: Math

Example 1

Example 2

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

Simulate the tournament as given in the statement.
Be careful when handling odd integers.

Interview move: turn each hint into an invariant you can check after every iteration/recursion step.

Step 03

Algorithm Walkthrough

Iteration Checklist

Define state (indices, window, stack, map, DP cell, or recursion frame).
Apply one transition step and update the invariant.
Record answer candidate when condition is met.
Continue until all input is consumed.

Use the first example testcase as your mental trace to verify each transition.

Step 04

Edge Cases

Minimum Input

Single element / shortest valid input

Validate boundary behavior before entering the main loop or recursion.

Duplicates & Repeats

Repeated values / repeated states

Decide whether duplicates should be merged, skipped, or counted explicitly.

Extreme Constraints

Upper-end input sizes

Re-check complexity target against constraints to avoid time-limit issues.

Invalid / Corner Shape

Empty collections, zeros, or disconnected structures

Handle special-case structure before the core algorithm path.

Step 05

Full Annotated Code

Source-backed implementations are provided below for direct study and interview prep.

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #1688: Count of Matches in Tournament
class Solution {
    public int numberOfMatches(int n) {
        return n - 1;
    }
}

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #1688: Count of Matches in Tournament
func numberOfMatches(n int) int {
	return n - 1
}

# Accepted solution for LeetCode #1688: Count of Matches in Tournament
class Solution:
    def numberOfMatches(self, n: int) -> int:
        return n - 1

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #1688: Count of Matches in Tournament
struct Solution;

impl Solution {
    fn number_of_matches(mut n: i32) -> i32 {
        let mut res = 0;
        while n > 1 {
            if n % 2 == 1 {
                res += 1;
            }
            n /= 2;
            res += n;
        }
        res
    }
}

#[test]
fn test() {
    let n = 7;
    let res = 6;
    assert_eq!(Solution::number_of_matches(n), res);
    let n = 14;
    let res = 13;
    assert_eq!(Solution::number_of_matches(n), res);
}

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #1688: Count of Matches in Tournament
function numberOfMatches(n: number): number {
    return n - 1;
}

Step 06

Interactive Study Demo

Use this to step through a reusable interview workflow for this problem.

Custom checkpoints (one per line)

Press Step or Run All to begin.

Step 07

Complexity Analysis

Time

O(1)

Space

O(1)

Approach Breakdown

ITERATIVE

O(n) time

O(1) space

Simulate the process step by step — multiply n times, check each number up to n, or iterate through all possibilities. Each step is O(1), but doing it n times gives O(n). No extra space needed since we just track running state.

MATH INSIGHT

O(log n) time

O(1) space

Math problems often have a closed-form or O(log n) solution hidden behind an O(n) simulation. Modular arithmetic, fast exponentiation (repeated squaring), GCD (Euclidean algorithm), and number theory properties can dramatically reduce complexity.

Shortcut: Look for mathematical properties that eliminate iteration. Repeated squaring → O(log n). Modular arithmetic avoids overflow.

Coach Notes

Common Mistakes

Review these before coding to avoid predictable interview regressions.

Overflow in intermediate arithmetic

Wrong move: Temporary multiplications exceed integer bounds.

Usually fails on: Large inputs wrap around unexpectedly.

Fix: Use wider types, modular arithmetic, or rearranged operations.