The Guild

Who are we?

We, the Mathematics Guild, are a group of enthusiastic and dedicated students who share a passion for competitive mathematics. With a keen interest in problem-solving and critical thinking, we represent IIT Madras in various competitions all year round. 

Through our collective efforts, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, develop problem-solving skills, and cultivate a sense of camaraderie among our members.

What do we do?

  • Upskilling: Learn new concepts and ways of problem solving and teach one another.
  • Problem Solving: Attempt a Problem Set periodically, set in rotation by 2-3 members of the contingent.
  • Competitions: Train for and participate in competitions, both at the national and global level.

Targeted Competitions

Simon Marais Mathematics Competition (SMMC)

NSU Crypto

Inter IIT Tech Meet (Math Bowl)

Mathlete Melee (Polygon IIT Guwahati)

Mimamsa (IISER Pune)

Pratyaksh

Life is like a matrix, but I am “determinant” to find a solution 🙂

Pranjal

I am waiting for the Fibonacci day (23/11) – cuz that’s when I am going to spiral out of control.

Arun Radhakrishnan

“The rollercoaster of life follows the path x² + 1. The answers are imaginary. The journey is real.”

Hafiz Rahman

I’m like the number 1—not prime, not composite. Just the start of something bigger

Laxmi Narasimha Reddy

“Life is like the graph of |eˣ sin(x)| : every fall prepares you for a higher rise, and every peak humbles you with a dip – yet you grow, always.”

Matheshwaran S

“The second derivative came out positive — turns out this isn’t even my lowest point. Perfect.”

Sahiti Bheri

“Curiosity drives me, Mathematics gives it direction.”

Srikar J V

“I have a truly marvelous solution to all of your problems that this page is too narrow to contain.”

Raghav Iyengar

“Even when the surface is rugged, I trust the direction — update by update.”

Ayush Gangal

“Life’s just like algebra—sometimes you have to move things around to solve for yourself.”

Balasathya S

“I find your lack of symmetry… disturbing.”

Ronak Mandavia

“It’s not that deep”

Prasanna Bhavan

“Pi-rate of the Maths club”

Sai Harshith

Loaf → ∞

V.B Raghuraam

Patterns are nature’s signatures”

Harshath M

“Currently assuming everything, proving nothing!”

P. Karunya

“You’re a vector — direction matters more than magnitude.”

Ketan Reddy

“Some things aren’t meant to be solved, they’re meant to be let go”

V Sriram

“Geometry is the path to the theory of everything”

Yeseswa

” I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”

Suraj Kumar Singh

“A progression never ends and so does my progress.”

Here’s a question for you!

In how many ways can 2 knights be placed on an 8×8 chess board such that they attack each other?

Click below if you want to pack and look at the solution

The correct answer is 168.

The number of 3 × 2 rectangles on a chessboard:

7 * 6 * 2 = 84

In each rectangle, there are 2 attacking pairs. Therefore:

64 * 2 = 168

Too easy? Try this one now!

Pranjal and Pratyaksh are playing a game on a chess board. Pratyaksh starts 1st and places a knight. After that they alternatively take turns and move the knight to a square (according to chess rules) it has not been on before. If a player is unable to move the knight to a new square, he loses the game. If both Pranjal and Pratyaksh play optimally, who wins the game and what is his winning strategy?

Player 1’s turn: pick start square