admin I am pleased to announce the release of the new edition of Olympiad Combinatorics, a book written for students who want to think like Olympiad mathematicians, not merely apply formulas.
This edition represents a complete structural refinement of the book—both in content philosophy and pedagogical design—and reflects years of teaching, mentoring, and observing how strong students actually learn combinatorics.
Why This Book?
Most students encounter combinatorics as a fragmented subject:
- formulas without meaning,
- tricks without structure,
- solutions without strategy.
Olympiad problems demand something very different:
- the ability to model situations correctly,
- to choose the right tool,
- and to write clean, logical proofs under pressure.
This book was written to address exactly that gap.
Olympiad combinatorics is not about clever tricks.
It is about structure, invariants, and controlled reasoning.
What Makes This Book Different?
This is not a problem dump.
Each chapter is designed as a training module, built around:
- how to recognize a combinatorial structure,
- how to decide which technique applies,
- why certain methods fail.
The emphasis throughout is on:
- thinking frameworks,
- decision-making,
- and error analysis.
The goal is not just to solve problems, but to understand why a solution works.
What the Book Covers
The book provides a complete Olympiad-level combinatorics curriculum, including:
- Fundamental counting principles
- The pigeonhole principle (basic, generalized, and structural)
- Double counting as a proof technique
- Inclusion–exclusion
- Generating functions (Olympiad-oriented)
- Recurrence relations and modeling
- Bijections and equivalence arguments
- Invariants and monovariants
- The extremal principle
- Combinatorial graph theory
- The probabilistic method
- Strategy synthesis and technique selection
- A final challenge gauntlet (AIME to IMO level)
Each chapter includes:
- concise micro-theory,
- progressively difficult worked examples,
- carefully graded exercises,
- self-tests for diagnosis,
- hints, commentary, and common mistake analysis.
Who This Book Is For
This book is written for:
- students preparing for RMO, INMO, USAMO, BMO, CMO, EGMO, IMO, and similar contests,
- advanced high school and early undergraduate students,
- teachers and mentors guiding Olympiad training,
- serious self-learners who value depth over shortcuts.
It assumes mathematical maturity, curiosity, and patience.
How to Use the Book
The book is designed to be studied slowly and actively.
A recommended approach:
- Read theory with pen and paper.
- Attempt problems before reading solutions.
- Compare solution structure, not just final answers.
- Revisit problems after time gaps.
- Use self-tests under timed conditions.
Struggle is treated not as failure, but as a necessary step toward mastery.
Availability
The book is now available on Amazon worldwide:
US: https://a.co/d/5OZqiao
UK: https://amzn.eu/d/hMxpXp8
Germany: https://amzn.eu/d/0YiE8T2
France: https://amzn.eu/d/4Xs8XCY
Canada: https://a.co/d/7pBpcqS
Australia: https://amzn.asia/d/fxRxzSM
Preview the book:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aiozSNeTdkTeNgoZCcISF9SiKRT43Zub/view
About the Author
Rishabh Kumar is a mathematics educator and mentor specializing in Olympiad-level training.
An alumnus of IIT Guwahati and the Indian Statistical Institute, he has worked closely with students preparing for national and international mathematics competitions.
He is the founder of Mathematics Elevate Academy and the author of multiple volumes in the Mathematics Elevate Series for Olympiads.
His teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity over memorization, structure over tricks, and disciplined thinking over mechanical techniques.
Final Note
This book is not meant to impress quickly.
It is meant to build mathematical maturity slowly, carefully, and permanently.
If you are willing to think deeply, make mistakes, and refine your reasoning, this book will serve you well for years.
