An equilateral triangle of side $n$ has been divided into little equilateral triangles of side $1$ in the usual way. We draw a path over the segments of this triangulation, in such a way that it visits exactly once each one of the $\frac{(n+1)(n+2)}{2}$ vertices. What is the minimum number of times the path can change its direction? The figure below shows a valid path on a triangular board of side $4$, with exactly $9$ changes of direction. [asy] unitsize(30); pair h = (1, 0); pair v = dir(60); pair d = dir(120); for(int i = 0; i < 4; ++i) { draw(i*v -- i*v + (4 - i)*h); draw(i*h -- i*h + (4 - i)*v); draw((i + 1)*h -- (i + 1)*h + (i + 1)*d); } draw(h + v -- v -- (0, 0) -- 2*h -- 2*h + v -- h + 2*v -- 2*v -- 4*v -- 3*h + v -- 3*h -- 4*h, linewidth(2)); draw(3*h -- 4*h, EndArrow); fill(circle(h + v, 0.1)); [/asy] [i]Proposed by Oriol Solé[/i]

In every cell of an $n\times n$ board is written $1$ or $-1$. At each step we may choose any of the $4n-2$ diagonals of the board and change the signs of all the numbers on that diagonal. Determine the number of initial configurations from which, after a finite number of steps, we may arrive at a configuration where all products of numbers on rows and columns equal to $1$. [i]Proposed by Pavel Ciurea[/i]

$\bullet$ Determine a natural $n$ such that the constant sum $S$ of a magic square of $ n \times n$ (that is, the sum of its elements in any column, or the diagonal) differs as little as possible from $1992$. $\bullet$ Construct or describe the construction of this magic square.

Let $n$ be a positive integer. We are given a $3n \times 3n$ board whose unit squares are colored in black and white in such way that starting with the top left square, every third diagonal is colored in black and the rest of the board is in white. In one move, one can take a $2 \times 2$ square and change the color of all its squares in such way that white squares become orange, orange ones become black and black ones become white. Find all $n$ for which, using a finite number of moves, we can make all the squares which were initially black white, and all squares which were initially white black. Proposed by [i]Boris Stanković and Marko Dimitrić, Bosnia and Herzegovina[/i]

Consider a $N\times N$ square board where $N\geq 3$ is an odd integer. The caterpillar Carl sits at the center of the square; all other cells contain distinct positive integers. An integer $n$ weights $1\slash n$ kilograms. Carl wants to leave the board but can eat at most $2$ kilograms. Determine whether Carl can always find a way out when a) $N=2003.$ b) $N$ is an arbitrary odd integer.

Ana draws a checkered board that has at least 20 rows and at least 24 columns. Then, Beto must completely cover that board, without holes or overlaps, using only pieces of the following two types: Each piece must cover exactly 4 or 3 squares of the board, as shown in the figure, without leaving the board. It is permitted to rotate the pieces and it is not necessary to use all types of pieces. Explain why, regardless of how many rows and how many columns Ana's board has, Beto can always complete his task.

Board with dimesions $2018 \times 2018$ is divided in unit cells $1 \times 1$. In some cells of board are placed black chips and in some white chips (in every cell maximum is one chip). Firstly we remove all black chips from columns which contain white chips, and then we remove all white chips from rows which contain black chips. If $W$ is number of remaining white chips, and $B$ number of remaining black chips on board and $A=min\{W,B\}$, determine maximum of $A$

A one player game is played on the triangular board shown on the picture. A token is placed on each circle. Each token is white on one side and black on the other. Initially, the token at one vertex of the triangle has the black side up, while the others have the white sides up. A move consists of removing a token with the black side up and turning over the adjacent tokens (two tokens are adjacent if they are joined by a segment). Is it possible to remove all the tokens by a sequence of moves? [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/d/2/aabf82a0ddd6907482f27e6e0f1e1b56cd931d.png[/img]

Let $n > 1$ be an integer. In a [i]configuration[/i] of an $n \times n$ board, each of the $n^2$ cells contains an arrow, either pointing up, down, left, or right. Given a starting configuration, Turbo the snail starts in one of the cells of the board and travels from cell to cell. In each move, Turbo moves one square unit in the direction indicated by the arrow in her cell (possibly leaving the board). After each move, the arrows in all of the cells rotate $90^{\circ}$ counterclockwise. We call a cell [i]good[/i] if, starting from that cell, Turbo visits each cell of the board exactly once, without leaving the board, and returns to her initial cell at the end. Determine, in terms of $n$, the maximum number of good cells over all possible starting configurations. [i]Proposed by Melek Güngör, Turkey[/i]

On the screen of a computer there is an $2^n\times 2^n$ board. On each cell of the main diagonal there is a file. At each step, we may select some files and move them to the left, on their respective rows, by the same distance. What is the minimum number of necessary moves in order to put all files on the first column? [i]Proposed by Vlad Spătaru[/i]

In a $7\times7$ board, some squares are painted red. Let $a$ be the number of rows that have an odd number of red squares and let $b$ be the number of columns that have an odd number of red squares. Find all possible values of $a+b$. For each value found, give a example of how the board can be painted.

Consider a checkered $3m\times 3m$ square, where $m$ is an integer greater than $1.$ A frog sits on the lower left corner cell $S$ and wants to get to the upper right corner cell $F.$ The frog can hop from any cell to either the next cell to the right or the next cell upwards. Some cells can be [i]sticky[/i], and the frog gets trapped once it hops on such a cell. A set $X$ of cells is called [i]blocking[/i] if the frog cannot reach $F$ from $S$ when all the cells of $X$ are sticky. A blocking set is [i] minimal[/i] if it does not contain a smaller blocking set.[list=a][*]Prove that there exists a minimal blocking set containing at least $3m^2-3m$ cells. [*]Prove that every minimal blocking set containing at most $3m^2$ cells.

There are several dominoes on a board such that each domino occupies two adjacent cells and none of the dominoes are adjacent by side or vertex. The bottom left and top right cells of the board are free. A token starts at the bottom left cell and can move to a cell adjacent by side: one step to the right or upwards at each turn. Is it always possible to move from the bottom left to the top right cell without passing through dominoes if the size of the board is a) $100 \times 101$ cells and b) $100 \times 100$ cells? [i]Nikolay Chernyatiev[/i]

Two cells in a $20 \times 20$ board are adjacent if they have a common edge (a cell is not considered adjacent to itself). What is the maximum number of cells that can be marked in a $20 \times 20$ board such that every cell is adjacent to at most one marked cell?

Let $n$ be a positive integer. Ana and Beto play a game on a $2 \times n$ board (with 2 rows and $n$ columns). First, Ana writes a digit from 1 to 9 in each cell of the board such that in each column the two written digits are different. Then, Beto erases a digit from each column. Reading from left to right, a number with $n$ digits is formed. Beto wins if this number is a multiple of $n$; otherwise, Ana wins. Determine which of the two players has a winning strategy in the following cases: $\bullet$ (a) $n = 1001$. $\bullet$ (b) $n = 1003$.

In a checkered square, there is a closed door between any two cells adjacent by side. A beetle starts from some cell and travels through cells, passing through doors; she opens a closed door in the direction she is moving and leaves that door open. Through an open door, the beetle can only pass in the direction the door is opened. Prove that if at any moment the beetle wants to return to the starting cell, it is possible for her to do that.

We are given an $n \times n$ board. Rows are labeled with numbers $1$ to $n$ downwards and columns are labeled with numbers $1$ to $n$ from left to right. On each field we write the number $x^2 + y^2$ where $(x, y)$ are its coordinates. We are given a figure and can initially place it on any field. In every step we can move the figure from one field to another if the other field has not already been visited and if at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:[list] [*] the numbers in those $2$ fields give the same remainders when divided by $n$, [*] those fields are point reflected with respect to the center of the board.[/list]Can all the fields be visited in case: [list=a][*] $n = 4$, [*] $n = 5$?[/list] [i]Josip Pupić[/i]

A lame rook lies on a $9\times 9$ chessboard. It can move one cell horizontally or vertically. The rook made $n{}$ moves, visited each cell at most once, and did not make two moves consecutively in the same direction. What is the largest possible value of $n{}$? [i]From the folklore[/i]

The numbers $1$ through $16$ are to be written in the cells of a $4\times 4$ board. (a) Prove that this can be done in such a way that any two numbers in cells that share a side differ by at most $4$. (b) Prove that this cannot be done in such a way that any two numbers in cells that share a side differ by at most $3$.

A board $n \times n$ is divided into $n^2$ unit squares and a number is written in each unit square. Such a board is called [i] interesting[/i] if the following conditions hold: $\circ$ In all unit squares below the main diagonal, the number $0$ is written; $\circ$ Positive integers are written in all other unit squares. $\circ$ When we look at the sums in all $n$ rows, and the sums in all $n$ columns, those $2n$ numbers are actually the numbers $1,2,...,2n$ (not necessarily in that order). $a)$ Determine the largest number that can appear in a $6 \times 6$ [i]interesting[/i] board. $b)$ Prove that there is no [i]interesting[/i] board of dimensions $7\times 7$.

A $1$ or $0$ is placed on each square of a $4 \times 4$ board. One is allowed to change each symbol in a row, or change each symbol in a column, or change each symbol in a diagonal (there are $14$ diagonals of lengths $1$ to $4$). For which arrangements can one make changes which end up with all $0$s?

Rectangles $1\times20$, $1\times 19$, ..., $1\times 1$ were cut out of $20\times20$ table. Prove that from the remaining part of the table $36$ $1\times2$ dominos can be cut [I]Proposed by S. Berlov[/i]

Cards numbered with numbers $1$ to $1000$ are to be placed on the cells of a $1\times 1994$ rectangular board one by one, according to the following rule: If the cell next to the cell containing the card $n$ is free, then the card $n+1$ must be put on it. Prove that the number of possible arrangements is not more than half a mllion.

Alice and Bob play a game together as a team on a $100 \times 100$ board with all unit squares initially white. Alice sets up the game by coloring exactly $k$ of the unit squares red at the beginning. After that, a legal move for Bob is to choose a row or column with at least $10$ red squares and color all of the remaining squares in it red. What is the smallest $k$ such that Alice can set up a game in such a way that Bob can color the entire board red after finitely many moves? Proposed by [i]Nikola Velov, Macedonia[/i]

The unit cells of a 5 x 5 board are painted with 5 colors in a way that every cell is painted by exactly one color and each color is used in 5 cells. Show that exists at least one line or one column of the board in which at least 3 colors were used.