First of all, some good news! 🎉 At least two in-person international mental calculation competitions are being planned for later in 2022. Details will be announced here (and by email to all subcribers) and by the respective organizations as soon as they are available.
In the meantime, the Canadian Mind Sports Association is (again) hosting an online calculation competition/challenge that is open to everyone around the world.
There is no verification of results, so all participation is on an honorary basis. This competition is suitable for all levels.
Format of Competition
There are several categories, each with a 5-minute time limit. You are responsible to following the rules, marking and scoring your own answers, and reporting them to the organizers.
The individual categories are:
- additions (sets of ten 2-digit numbers)
- multiplications (2-by-2 digits, such as 35 x 64)
- divisions to 2 decimal places (e.g. 123 ÷ 4 = 30.75)
There are also some optional extension categories, including:
- decimal square roots (according to the rules familiar from the World Cup and Memoriad competitions)
- calendar dates (also conforming to the familiar rules)
- 3-by-3 and 8-by-8 multiplications
- squares of 2-, 3- and 4-digit numbers
- multi-part calculations involving brackets
Be sure to read the full rules, including the rules for marking the categories, before starting. Remember that the organizers need to know the number of questions attempted, the number correct, and the total score.
Details of Competition
The questions will be announced on 12 February 2022, and the deadline for competing and entering your scores is 22nd March 2022. You’ll just need a couple of hours. The questions are available in various formats, and I personally advise to use the PDF versions, and write answers with pen and paper.
Full instructions are on the website for the Canadian Mind Sports Association.
Note: all questions about this event should be sent to the contact on their website, not to me, as I am not an organizer of these events.
Good luck!
