10.08.2021

St Petersburg University team has won first place in the 28^th IMC (International Mathematics Competition for University Students). St Petersburg University became the only Russian university to enter the top 10 of the competition.

Our team member Aleksandr Grebennikov took second place in the individual competition, following Attila Gáspár from Hungary. St Petersburg University students Stanislav Krymskii, Mikhail Ivanov, Nikita Dobronravov and Marat Abdrakhmanov finished in the top 10.

The contestants were asked to solve eight problems relating to: real and complex analysis; linear algebra; group theory; combinatorics; probability theory; and geometry. According to team leader Fedor Petrov, the University team consisted of the strongest mathematics students who had previously performed well at the University Olympiad Petropolitan Science Research.

This year the championship was held in an online format. A total of 113 teams from universities around the world took part in the Olympiad. Russia was represented by: St Petersburg University; Lomonosov Moscow State University; the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow and St Petersburg branches); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology; Novosibirsk State University; and RUDN University (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia).

‘The tasks in the International Olympiad are of about the same difficulty each year. This year there were two very difficult tasks, two fairly easy ones and four of an intermediate level. Students solve them in two stages: four problems in four hours. Last year, the organisers had already tried an online format, so this time it went more smoothly and the students could perform as best as possible’, said team leader Fedor Petrov.

The team of St Petersburg University consisted of: Aleksandr Grebennikov, Stanislav Krymskii, Mikhail Ivanov, Nikita Dobronravov, Marat Abdrakhmanov, Nikita Karagodin, Dmitrii Iartsev, Egor Dobronravov, Kirill Tyshchuk and Mikhail Novikov. Konstantin Chelpanov and Artem Skvortsov also took part in the individual competition. Team leaders are Fedor Petrov and Danila Cherkashin.  Note that St Petersburg University Professor Fedor Petrov was third among the most effective team leaders of IMC-2021.

The International Mathematics Competition for University Students has been held annually since 1994. It is supported by: University College London; the American University in Bulgaria; and high-tech companies (Huawei, Wolfram Research, Maplesoft, Zulip, Springer).