REPORTAGE. At the World Championship of Mathematical Games, “we are trying to show that it can be a fun subject”

At the École Polytechnique de Palaiseau, in Essonne, 500 competitors from 14 different countries competed in the international final of the Mathematical and Logic Games. Enough to make maths more attractive and inspire vocations.

Mathematics, painful memories for some, passion for others ! Monday, August 26th, the international final of the Mathematical and Logic Games took place. This 38^e edition took place at the École Polytechnique de Palaiseau (Essonne) and brought together 500 competitors of all ages from 14 different countries. Here, no barbaric exercises but rather fun puzzles. The aim is to make mathematics more attractive and to perhaps inspire vocations.

Alina and Guillemette have just finished their exams. With the statement in their hands, they compare their answers. Guillemette has just passed her baccalaureate : 20/20 in maths ! The representative of the Brittany region is rather confident about the result, she did not need to prepare much. “As for the other competitions, I had time to train, but this time, not at all !, she says. So I came as a bit of a tourist. In the end, it went well.”

Her classmate Alina represents the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. She is passionate about maths, even more so when she has the right answer. “When you find something, it’s a great satisfaction, but here it’s mainly because it’s fun,” she believes.

“Compared to what we do in school, this is much more about games, it’s fun.”

Alina, participant of the championship

to franceinfo

This playful approach to mathematics is appreciated. Riddles and quizzes replace Pythagoras and Thales. 27 000 young French people took part in the selections for this competition. 70 are in the final facing participants from all over the world.

For Antoine Vanney, president of the French Federation of Mathematical Games, making this subject accessible helps attract young people. “We are not trying to select only those who are the best in mathematics, we are trying to show that you can enjoy doing mathematics, that it can also be a fun subject.” The goal is to “to make this subject more attractive and to bring more young people into scientific fields.”

However, this subject is not always appreciated by students. Hugo Duminil-Copin knows something about it. He received the Fields Medal in 2022, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics. When he sees all these young enthusiasts, he can only be delighted. “Seeing this positive movement around mathematics, these young people happy to do mathematics, it really warms the heart. For me, it’s something fundamental to show that yes, math, exactly like music or sport, can be a hobby, something that we like to do.”

The ranking of the final is therefore rather a pretext, the important thing is to participate. The next edition will take place in 2025 in Tunisia.