Human beings are naturally drawn to perfect scores.
Perfect games.
Perfect exams.
Perfect performances.
But in the world of the International Mathematical Olympiad, perfection means something very different.
Sometimes, a single problem is enough to separate extraordinary students from the rest of the world.
And in 1988, that problem was:
Problem 6.
The Problem Nobody Could Solve
Within Olympiad mathematics, Problem 6 has acquired an almost mythical reputation.
Traditionally, it is the final problem of the competition — and almost always the hardest.
It is where elegance becomes brutality.
Where intuition collides with invention.
Where even world-class contestants suddenly discover the limits of their mathematical imagination.
At the 1988 International Mathematical Olympiad, the final problem proved especially devastating.
Out of the entire field of elite young mathematicians from around the globe, only:
[ 11 ]
students managed to solve it completely.
That alone would have made the problem legendary.
But the names attached to that Olympiad make the story even more remarkable.
A Future President Among the Solvers
One of the students who solved Problem 6 was:
Nicușor Dan
Today, he is known as the President of Romania.
But long before politics, he was already recognized as one of the strongest young mathematical minds in the world.
In 1988, he achieved a perfect score at the IMO:
[ 42/42 ]
A flawless performance.
An almost unimaginable achievement in a competition where even a single point can separate gold medalists from the rest of the field.
The Other Names on the List
Nicușor Dan was not alone.
Also achieving a perfect score that year was the future Fields Medal winner:
Ngô Bảo Châu
One of the most celebrated mathematicians of the modern era.
Another student who solved the same Problem 6 was:
Ravi Vakil
who would later become a distinguished professor of mathematics at Stanford University.
And then comes perhaps the most astonishing detail of all.
Terence Tao’s 1/7
In 1988, a 13-year-old contestant named:
Terence Tao
participated in the IMO.
Today, Tao is widely regarded as one of the greatest mathematical prodigies in history.
Yet on this infamous Problem 6, he scored only:
[ 1/7 ]
Just one point.
And still, he won a gold medal.
Why?
Because he performed almost perfectly on the rest of the exam.
The story is a powerful reminder of something many students forget:
Even extraordinary genius has limits.
Even the greatest minds encounter problems that resist them.
And sometimes, one impossible problem says less about failure than about the terrifying difficulty of the challenge itself.
Why Problem 6 Feels Different
There is something psychologically unique about IMO Problem 6.
Earlier problems often reward preparation, familiarity, and technical skill.
Problem 6 is different.
It frequently demands:
- completely original insight
- unexpected constructions
- deep creativity
- emotional endurance under pressure
Many contestants describe the experience almost like entering another universe of mathematics.
A place where standard methods suddenly stop working.
Where the problem seems impossible — until a single hidden idea changes everything.
The Mythology of Mathematical Difficulty
Over the decades, certain IMO Problem 6 questions have become legendary.
Students study them years later not merely because they are difficult, but because they reveal something profound about mathematical thinking itself.
The 1988 problem belongs firmly in that category.
Not because almost nobody solved it.
But because of the names connected to it.
A future president.
A future Fields Medalist.
A future Stanford professor.
And a 13-year-old Terence Tao, still too young to fully conquer one of the hardest problems on Earth.
A Different Kind of Inspiration
There is an important lesson hidden inside this story.
Mathematics is not about solving everything.
No one does.
Not even Terence Tao.
Real mathematical greatness is not perfection.
It is persistence.
Curiosity.
The willingness to continue thinking even when the answer refuses to appear.
And perhaps that is why the story of IMO 1988 remains so memorable.
Because it reminds us that even among geniuses, some mountains are simply taller than others.
Explore the Original Problems
The official problems of the 1988 International Mathematical Olympiad can still be viewed here:
👉 https://www.imo-official.org/problems.aspx?year=1988