Problem

Source: Saudi Arabia IMO TST Day I Problem 2

Tags: analytic geometry, graph theory, combinatorics unsolved, combinatorics



Define a domino to be an ordered pair of distinct positive integers. A proper sequence of dominoes is a list of distinct dominoes in which the first coordinate of each pair after the first equals the second coordinate of the immediately preceding pair, and in which $(i, j)$ and $(j, i)$ do not both appear for any $i$ and $j$. Let $D_n$ be the set of all dominoes whose coordinates are no larger than $n$. Find the length of the longest proper sequence of dominoes that can be formed using the dominoes of $D_n$.