Mathematical Groups in Paderborn: Kachelungen Focus: Chess Boards and Polyominoes
On Wednesday, 02 December 2025, the Paderborn Math Circle will host an online workshop to explore the fascinating world of chessboard tiling problems using polyominoes. This event, open to students with intermediate math knowledge, will delve into the intricate logic behind these puzzles, demonstrating how they can be solved using strategic coloring or numbering of the chessboard.
The workshop, led by Dr. Kerstin Hesse, will focus on the classic problem of tiling a chessboard missing two opposite white corners with dominoes. Beyond dominoes, the discussion will extend to trominoes - three-square polyominoes that can take the form of either an elongated line or an L-shaped figure.
The main approach to solving these tiling puzzles involves coloring or numbering the chessboard squares to highlight constraints that either allow or forbid certain tilings. These constraints are derived from parity, adjacency, or coverage properties that can be logically deduced, rather than requiring exhaustive trial and error.
Participants will learn how to color the chessboard, for example, using standard black and white squares or other patterns, to reveal symmetry and parity restrictions. They will also learn how to assign numbers to squares to track coverage requirements of polyominoes and detect impossible tilings. Finally, they will use logical reasoning based on these patterns to prove whether a given chessboard can or cannot be tiled with the specified polyominoes.
Access to the online workshop will be sent via email on Tuesday evening, 01 December 2025, before the meeting. The video conference will open at 5:45 PM, with the workshop beginning at 6:00 PM. Registration for the event is free and ideally should be done by 11:00 AM on 02 December 2025. Registration can be completed by filling out the registration form available on the Paderborn Math Circle Website and sending it via email.
The Paderborn Math Circle workshop will take place at the University of Paderborn. For more information about the event or the Paderborn Math Circle, please visit the University of Paderborn's website.
[1] For more information about the Paderborn Math Circle, please visit their website at Paderborn Math Circle Website.
- The online workshop hosted by the Paderborn Math Circle on data-and-cloud-computing platforms will cover topics related to education-and-self-development, such as online-education and learning in the field of tech-driven logic puzzles like chessboard tiling problems.
- The technology used during the workshop will involve coloring or numbering methods to solve complex chessboard tiling problems using polyominoes, including dominoes and trominoes.
- Participants interested in expanding their knowledge of data-and-cloud-computing can register for the free online workshop, which focuses on the use of technology in education-and-self-development.
