Problem

Source: 2019 RMM Shortlist C1

Tags: combinatorics



Let $k$ and $N$ be integers such that $k > 1$ and $N > 2k + 1$. A number of $N$ persons sit around the Round Table, equally spaced. Each person is either a knight (always telling the truth) or a liar (who always lies). Each person sees the nearest k persons clockwise, and the nearest $k$ persons anticlockwise. Each person says: ''I see equally many knights to my left and to my right." Establish, in terms of $k$ and $N$, whether the persons around the Table are necessarily all knights. Sergey Berlov, Russia