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 levels.

Targeted Competitions

Simon Marais Mathematics Competition (SMMC)

NSU Crypto

Inter IIT Tech Meet (Math Bowl)

Mathlete Melee (Polygon IIT Guwahati)

Mimamsa (IISER Pune)

Balasathya S

“I find your lack of symmetry… disturbing.”

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.”

Sashwath J S

do math not meth

Abishnavi

“𝑓(𝑥)=flow ! let the variables land where they may be”

Sai Teja

“Where intuition ends, proof begins.”

Matheshwaran S

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

Pranav Tej

“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.”

Soham Vinayak Pate

73 > 37

Prajith Saravanan

“I am 95% confident that anyone who claims to truly understand statistics is lying to you, and the remaining 5% are lying to themselves.”

Naresh Amitesh Sankaran 

 Lowering cortisol by avoiding proofs

Prabhat Anand

Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.

Kanishka Chakraborty

Mathematics is like poetry, which helps us in exploring the universe.

Swati Dorugade

“Mathematics is the language in which the universe is written.”

Eswarkarthik

Mathematics is not about finding the answer, it’s about enjoying the chase.”

Abiraami K

“∫f(x)dx = F(x) + C”  F(x) is your success, every d(x) is the small effort you put. But +C is the consistency that completes the journey!

Bala Ganesh S

Iteration erases accident. What survives is the dominant eigenvector.

Aakash Aadhithya

Intuition is the first spark, and every refinement converges to truth”

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.”

Harshath M

“Currently assuming everything, proving nothing!”

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 chessboard. 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