A standard 8 x 8 wooden chessboard has a straight line scratch in its surface, and is taken in for repair. The artisan who it is brought to decides to cover each affected square with a thin wooden veneer of the appropriate color.

Assuming that a different veneer is needed for each square of the board, what is the maximum number of such veneers that the artisan will require to do the job?

If you assume the scratch can have width to it, what is the limit of the width? Since it's not stated in the problem, I say the scratch is horizontal through the middle of the board, and a little more than 6 squares wide. Therefore, you will have to replace all 64 squares (and use 64 veneers).

Posted by DJ on 2003-06-22 15:51:25