MathLabs

Problem 3

On an infinite chessboard, start with n2n^2 pieces in an nn by nn block, one per square. A move jumps horizontally or vertically over an adjacent occupied square to the unoccupied square immediately beyond, removing the jumped piece. Find those values of nn for which the game can end with only one piece remaining.
Step 1 of 4: Color the board
In plain words

A move changes the parity of all three color counts together.

n≡0(mod3)n\equiv0\pmod3
Detailed analysis

Color square (i,j) by i+j modulo 3. Every legal jump uses three consecutive squares in one row or column, hence one square of each color.