Problem (Combinatorics):
$A \pm 1 \text{-}sequence$ is a sequence of 2022 numbers $a_{1}, \ldots, a_{2022}$, each equal to either +1 or -1 . Determine the largest $C$ so that, for any $\pm 1 -sequence$, there exists an integer $k$ and indices $1 \leqslant t_{1}<\ldots<t_{k} \leqslant 2022$ so that $t_{i+1}-t_{i} \leqslant 2$ for all $i$, and

$$
\left|\sum_{i=1}^{k} a_{t_{i}}\right| \geqslant C
$$

Solution:
First, we prove that this can always be achieved. Without loss of generality, suppose at least $\frac{2022}{2}=1011$ terms of the \pm 1 -sequence are +1 . Define a subsequence as follows: starting at $t=0$, if $a_{t}=+1$ we always include $a_{t}$ in the subsequence. Otherwise, we skip $a_{t}$ if we can (i.e. if we included $a_{t-1}$ in the subsequence), otherwise we include it out of necessity, and go to the next $t$. Clearly, this subsequence will include all $+1 \mathrm{~s}$. Also, for each -1 included in the sequence, a -1 must have been skipped, so at most $\left\lfloor\frac{1011}{2}\right\rfloor=505$ can be included. Hence the sum is at least $1011-505=506$, as desired.

Next, we prove that, for the \pm 1 -sequence

$$
(\{-1\},\{+1,+1\},\{-1,-1\},\{+1,+1\}, \ldots,\{+1,+1\},\{-1,-1\},\{+1\}),
$$

each admissible subsequence $a_{t_{i}}$ has $-506 \leqslant \sum_{i} a_{t_{i}} \leqslant 506$. We say that the terms inside each curly bracket is a block. In total, there are 1012 blocks - 506 of them hold +1-s, and 506 of them hold -1 s. (The two blocks at each end hold 1 number each, each other block holds 2.)

Suppose an admissible subsequence includes terms from $k$ blocks holding +1 -s. Then, in each -1 -pair in between the +1 -pairs, the subsequence must also include at least one -1 . There can be at most two +1 s included from each +1 -block, and at least one -1 must be included from each -1 -block, so the sum is at most $2 k-(k-1)=k+1$.

For $k<506$, this is at most 506. If $k=506$, one of the +1 -blocks must be the one at the end, meaning it can only include one +1 , so that the maximum in this case is only $k$, not $k+1$, so in this case the sum is also at most 506.

Hence we have shown that for any admissible subsequence, $\sum_{i} a_{t_{i}} \leqslant 506$. Analogously we can show that $-506 \leqslant \sum_{i} a_{t_{i}}$, meaning that $C \leqslant 506$ as desired.

Final answer: 506