Problem

Source: All-Russian Olympiad 2018

Tags: combinatorics, Hi



A positive integer $k$ is given. Initially, $N$ cells are marked on an infinite checkered plane. We say that the cross of a cell $A$ is the set of all cells lying in the same row or in the same column as $A$. By a turn, it is allowed to mark an unmarked cell $A$ if the cross of $A$ contains at least $k$ marked cells. It appears that every cell can be marked in a sequence of such turns. Determine the smallest possible value of $N$.