Mind Sports Olympiad Results 2019

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This year the only calculation event at the MSO was the Mental Calculations World Championship – a 3-and-a-half hour paper created based on George Lane’s Pegasus software.

Turnout was much lower this year than in previous years, with only 6 participants compared to 12 last year and 17 in 2017. In particular all of the participants were experienced competitors, whereas usually there is a wider range of abilities represented.

Some of the more difficult questions in the paper this year included:

  • What is (5 1/7)^5 to the nearest integer?
  • Calculate the exact 17th root of a given 45-digit number
  • How many years in the century 1801-1900 were leap years with 53 Sundays?

Congratulations to Wenzel Grüß, who won the gold medal with a score more than double anyone else’s!

🥇 (3302) Wenzel Grüß

🥈 (1393) Andreas Berger

🥉 (1093) Pascal Kaul

The Mind Sports Olympiad is held every year, along with other international-level mental math competitions.

2 thoughts on “Mind Sports Olympiad Results 2019”

  1. Only 6 participants reflects on popularity and acceptability of MSO as competition of choice in the field of Mental Math. With 6 contestants calling it as Mental Calculations World Championship is too much out of context

    • Yes, it’s a shame that this competition is so unpopular.
      Beside that MC isn’t very estimated in this event – I don’t
      know why not – I guess it’s not soroban friendly enough.

      The MSO test has a lot of tasks which are quite hard for soroban
      trained calculators.
      But I really love it.
      The JMCWC test is a spin off, so I love it too.

      Memoriad isn’t really a mental calculation competition in my eyes
      because so many thrilling math areas aren’t be there.
      It should be called Soroban Championship honestly.

      I also think that test aren’t fair when the tasks and presentation forms
      are designed for the special needs of soroban calculators,
      f.e. multiplication of 2 x 8digits is soroban friendly,
      but multiplication of 3 x 3digits is diffcult for soroban calculators,
      although you have to calculate with 9 numbers only instead of 16.

      But when soroban calculators have an advantage
      just because of special selected tasks and presentation forms
      logically the other calculators have a disadvantage.

      The conception of a fair competition should consider this gap
      and offer tasks and presenting forms which benefit nobody.

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