Milan, the World Capital of Maths Games: Bocconi Hosts the International Finals
On July 25 and 26, Bocconi University will host in Milan, for the first time in history, the international final of the “Championnat International des Jeux Mathématiques et Logiques.” This historic event will bring to Italy approximately 600 competitors from 22 countries across three continents, selected from among the 200,000 participants who compete simultaneously each year, ready to tackle the same mathematical and logical problems in a competition that rewards reasoning, creativity, and the ability to find solutions.
This edition is the first to be organized under the auspices of B4Math, Bocconi’s new mathematics hub, which opened in 2025 and is chaired by Professor Emanuele Borgonovo and directed by Professor Jacopo de Tullio, both of whom are from Bocconi University’s Department of Decision Sciences.
The 2026 edition marks the 40th international edition of the Championships and the 33rd organized in Italy by Bocconi University, which has been coordinating the event in Italy since 1994. In Italy, where just over 400 competitors registered for the first edition, the event’s success has grown steadily, surpassing 35,000 registrants for the 2026 edition.
Since 2008, the International Mathematical Games Championships have been accredited by Italy’s Ministry of Education as part of the Program for the Promotion of Excellence, a recognition that underscores their educational and formative value.
To highlight the importance of the event, the opening ceremony will be preceded by remarks from Professor Alessio Figalli, recipient of the 2018 Fields Medal in Mathematics, and the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala.
Competitors from Algeria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Switzerland, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Italy, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine will participate in the international final in Milan. Italy arrives at the Milan event on the strength of the excellent results it achieved at the last international final, held in 2025 in Mahdia, Tunisia. On that occasion, Andrea Bernacchi and Diego Barcellone took first and second place in the L1 category, Federico Incitti won the bronze medal in the GP category, while Giorgio Dendi took first place in the parallel competition of the GP category.
The competitions are divided into eight categories, based on age and skill level: from the CE category, for fourth-grade elementary students, to the GP category, open to adults with no age limit.
The Championships offer an exciting way to engage with mathematics. For those who already love it, they provide an opportunity to explore its most creative aspects; for those who approach it with skepticism, they can lead to the discovery of a discipline capable of surprising, entertaining, and challenging the mind—requiring nothing more than curiosity, a keen eye for detail, and a love of a good challenge.
A large number of teachers and volunteers participate in organizing the competitions, in all their phases and activities—from creating and grading the tests to organizing the final event—and deserve special thanks from all enthusiasts of this discipline.