CNJM 18 | 2024-2025

This school year will see the 18th edition of the National Mathematical Games Championship (CNJM18) and the final will take place on March 14, 2025, in University of Aveiro, date on which the Pi Day and the International Mathematics Day.

THE Ludus Association , the Mathematics Teachers Association , the Portuguese Mathematical Society and the Living Science have been promoting this competition annually since 2004. The current edition of the championship is organized locally by the University of Aveiro, through Aveiro Science Center Factory and of the Department of Mathematics.

More information on the event's official website, here.

 

National

Location

Peter Pigeon

Isabel Correia

Miguel Cardoso

Carmen Marques

Teresa Pereira

Jorge Costa

Sofia Simoes

Cynthia Alves

Marta Condesso

Paul Tavares

Regina Sousa

Nuno Gomes

Paulo Nunes

Carolina Magalhães

Special Educational Needs

 

We ask that you consult and read the Event Guide, where relevant practical information is available.

(Coming soon)

School reception

Upon arrival at the final venue, registered schools must register (location to be announced shortly). In order to meet all scheduled times, schools must try to register as soon as possible.

At the time of accreditation, the teacher receives a bag containing the jerseys; the identification badges of the players and the teacher in charge and the participation certificates of the student players. The accompanying teachers must write their name and respective telephone number on the back of each of their students' badges. The accompanying teachers must put on their badge and keep it until the end of the event.

Students must wear their respective t-shirt (depending on the game they are registered for) and put on their badge. A monitor will then direct them to the pre-game area. Please note that no student may play without wearing their t-shirt and presenting their identification badge. After completing their tournament, students must keep their badge on.

The results of the various qualifying rounds will be announced at the projection locations in the Nave Multiusos Caixa UA.

Buses

Those coming from the North on the A1 motorway should take the A25 exit for Aveiro. There are two exits to the city from the A25: Aveiro-Norte and, a few kilometres further on, Aveiro. For those heading to the University of Aveiro, the latter is the most advisable.

Those coming from the South via the A1 should exit at Aveiro-Sul/Águeda (exit 15) and follow the EN235 to the campus.

Important information:

In order to minimize the impact of the event on traffic and ensure the safety of participants, the organization will define, together with security agents (PSP, GNR and UA security), a circuit for the circulation and entry of buses and light vehicles on the University of Aveiro campus. In this sense, all registered teachers will be sent the circulation map of vehicles, which must be strictly adhered to.

Vehicles heading to the CNJM must bring a couplet which signals participation in the CNJM final, a slogan that is known to security agents.

Only vehicles displaying the aforementioned identification sticker may circulate at some points on this circuit, so it is advisable that they use it.

Download the map and the sign (Coming soon)

We recommend printing the “label + map” on both sides, thus allowing the map (located on the back) to be visible from inside the vehicle when stuck to the window, so that it can be easily consulted by the driver; and the label (on the front, facing outwards) to be visible to traffic officers.

Vehicles should drop off children and teachers in front of the Rectory of the University of Aveiro (point marked on the map) where there is a totem with a screen of the event. A person from the organization will be there to indicate the route that participants should take on foot to get to the registration point for the event.

After dropping off participants at the aforementioned drop-off location, drivers must proceed to one of the recommended parking locations.

Parking locations

· Dirt park next to McDonalds [40.63202268745135, -8.651678816757046]

The teachers in charge should provide these instructions to the bus drivers. We suggest that you obtain the contact details of the drivers so that they can be notified when it is time to return to the University of Aveiro to pick up the teachers and students.

Important times

(Information available soon)

Meals

(Information available soon)

Accommodation

(Information available soon)

MATHEMATICAL GAMES

At CNJM18, six games will be played in which students from the three cycles of Basic Education and Secondary Education may participate, according to the following table:

Game rules

Consult here to the game rules.

Game boards

Download here you boards to print in A3.

Inclusive competition

CNJM18 is prepared to receive students with low vision or blindness, who use adapted games. Deaf students will also be able to access the championship like any other young person. The rules of the games are provided in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) in the videos below. Deaf students must be accompanied by a LGP interpreter.

More information about materials adapted for the blind can be obtained by contacting Carlota Brazileiro (carlotadia@gmail.com).

Rules in Portuguese Sign Language

Cats & Dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSgICDVbjKg&feature=youtu.be

Tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGYWSp7mqvk&feature=youtu.be

Product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySXzlZcoBkA&feature=youtu.be

Registrations

The preliminary phase of CNJM18 involves thousands of participants from Basic and Secondary Education.

For the final, each school can register only one student per game and per level of education. This will take place in a single day. (March 14, 2025), the qualifiers take place in the morning and the final phase, finding the winners of each of the championships, takes place in the afternoon.

Registrations are only allowed by School and never by Group.

Registration is open until the day January 6, 2025 through this form.

PARALLEL ACTIVITIES

The organization presents a set of activities parallel to the “18th National Mathematical Games Championship” (CNJM18), to provide participants with playful, interactive and scientific moments. With free participation, and without registration or prior booking, the activities take place in sessions of different formats.

Activities are subject to a maximum number of participants (depending on room capacity). Access to activities will be on a first-come, first-served basis until maximum capacity is reached.

Detailed program of parallel activities. (available soon)

Summary program of parallel activities. (available soon)

"Invent your own game" COMPETITION

The aim of this competition is to be able to imagine, develop and test a mathematical game. What is a mathematical game? Here, we understand a mathematical game as a game that does not involve any mechanism of luck or chance (for example, it is not allowed to roll dice as in Monopoly) or hidden information (as in card games or naval battles). Therefore, the games to be invented must have all the information available to the players (as in Checkers, or Chess or the games of the National Championship of Mathematical Games).

Restrictions

As mentioned in the introduction, your game cannot contain elements of luck or chance or hidden information. The game must be for two players who take turns playing and must take place on a square or hexagonal board of the size and shape of your choice. Here are two examples of possible boards:

The game may use pieces of different shapes (like in Chess) or colors (like in Traffic Lights) or even pieces that are stackable (like in Checkers). However, you should not overdo the number of different pieces; it is preferable to be original in the type of rules as well as in the objective that leads to victory.

Some tips

There are many rules for mathematical games. Pieces can move to adjacent squares, they can slide in a straight line or rotate on themselves, they can capture by moving to the square of the opposing piece or by jumping over it. Captures may or may not be mandatory. Pieces can push other pieces, they can surround groups of enemy pieces to capture them. Pieces can stack on top of each other, swap positions with other pieces, change color if captured (instead of being removed from the board), etc.

There are also many types of objectives. You can win by capturing the enemy army (as in Checkers) or a special piece (as in Chess). The objective can also be to move all your pieces to the other side of the board (as in Chinese Checkers), to secure the acquisition of as much territory as possible (as in Go), to block your opponent's pieces (as in Amazons), to connect two areas of the board (as in Hex) or to be the first to have a special pattern (as in Semaphore).

These and other possibilities depend only on your imagination and the experiments you do when testing your game.

Contest Rules

Each school may submit multiple entries. Each proposed game may be individual or group-based, and each student who designed it must be identified. Each submission must contain a maximum of four A4 sheets describing the necessary materials (board and pieces), the rules, the objective and a set of examples explaining the characteristics of the game.

The winner or first places, as well as the respective prizes, will be announced in the afternoon on the day of the Championship final. The competition jury reserves the right to not award any prize if it considers that the submissions do not have the minimum quality required for a mathematical game.

The jury, defined by the National Organizing Committee of the CNJM, decides the winner or winners by individual vote in a single meeting. There is no appeal against the jury's decision.

The Championship organizing committee may publish games submitted to the competition, identifying the inventors and their respective school, unless otherwise expressly requested in the submission.

Applications

Submissions must be submitted by January 31, 2025, by email to ludus@ludicum.org, identified with the subject “Invent your Game Contest”.