Mr. Markov Plays Chutes and Ladders

Readers with children (or readers who were themselves once children) may be farnilar with the simple board game of Chutes and Ladders. Introduced by Milton Bradley in 1943, it has been played by at least three generations. (It is based on an older game called Snakes and Ladders, which is still played in some countries.) Young kids love the game, for it requires no skill-the players simply race each other without interacting. In turn, each player spins a six-sector spinner (or rolls an ordinary die), moving their piece the corresponding number of squares up a path with squares numbered 1 to 100. The winner is the first to reach square 100, which must be landed on using an exact spin. The path to square 100 is strewn with ten chutesf' and nine ladders. Landing at the top of a chute (doing something naughty) sends you down to its bottom, while landing at the bottom of a ladder (acting as a good child should) sends you up to its top.