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Classic olympiad problem · Combinatorics

A 5times5 grid has a token on each square. Every token must move to…

A 5×55\times5 grid has a token on each square. Every token must move to an orthogonally adjacent square. Prove this is impossible.
Topic: Combinatorics Difficulty: 4/6 Expected time: ~35 min Progressive hints on Lemma: 3

This is a proof problem — the answer is an argument, not a number. The solution is deliberately not posted here: reading a solution you didn't fight for teaches almost nothing. On Lemma you attempt it cold, take one of the 3 progressive hints only when genuinely stuck, then compare your proof against a full walkthrough and mark yourself with the same rubric a competition coordinator would use.

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