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Coloring 25 x 25 chessboard

Source: Mediterranean Mathematics Olympiad 2016 P3

June 4, 2016
Coloringcombinatorics

Problem Statement

Consider a 25×2525\times25 chessboard with cells C(i,j)C(i,j) for 1i,j251\le i,j\le25. Find the smallest possible number nn of colors with which these cells can be colored subject to the following condition: For 1i<j251\le i<j\le25 and for 1s<t251\le s<t\le25, the three cells C(i,s)C(i,s), C(j,s)C(j,s), C(j,t)C(j,t) carry at least two different colors.
(Proposed by Gerhard Woeginger, Austria)