The World's Toughest Challenge! Conceived by Minerva University Students. Solving Problems with Chess? A Miserable Idea Generation Method?

This summer, two interns arrived from Minerva University, the world's most competitive school!

Hey everyone, have you heard about Minerva University, which has been making waves lately? It's considered the world's most selective university—no entrance exams, yet the acceptance rate is a staggering 1 in 200!

Born from the founder's vision to teach practical skills for society rather than just knowledge, Minerva University has no physical campus. Students spend four years traveling to seven cities worldwide, taking classes on their laptops while engaging in projects with local companies in each city.

This summer, two interns from Minerva University—a university unlike traditional ones—and from Dentsu Inc. B Team—a team of employees with a personal "B-side" beyond their main job, proposing "Alternative Approaches" that break through stagnation—joined us.

Dentsu Inc. B Team is an "alternative approach" team where employees with personal "B-sides" beyond their main "A-side" (primary job) gather to propose different methods = plan B. They continuously explore new, 21st-century processes to break through stagnation.

Naja, who wrote this article, is also a B Team member. Her B-side is "Global Education." Drawing from her experience growing up in six countries, she compares educational styles across nations and develops new content based on her discoveries.

This background led to her first encounter with Minerva University in 2018, when she gave an introductory lecture on Japanese communication culture to 20 Minerva interns visiting Japan. This year, instead of a lecture, she will be hosting interns.

From left: Naja, author of this article; Chris and Idris from Minerva University who joined Team B; and Team B leader Mr. Kurashige.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Chris." "I'm Idris."

※Following Japanese custom, they always introduce themselves using the honorific "-san."
 

Chris was born in Manchester, England. He studied politics at the traditional University of Birmingham, graduating with excellent grades. Yet, feeling something was missing, he decided to enroll at Minerva University, the polar opposite of tradition. Now, he's living a university life completely different (?) from his Birmingham days.

He has a wide range of hobbies and interests, including education, charity work, mountaineering, playing in a band, and triathlons. He is particularly passionate about education, even taking a year off to serve as president of the university's student council and engage in campus activities.

The other Idris was born in Rabat, Morocco. Expected to attend a traditional university, he transferred to a school in South Africa midway through high school, wanting to try something different. That high school aimed to cultivate Africa's next generation of leaders, requiring all students to gain entrepreneurial experience as part of its education. There, he discovered the appeal of business and enrolled at Minerva University.

His hobbies are mathematics and chess. He's skilled enough in both to compete in international tournaments.

We've covered their A-sides (academics). Now, what about their B-sides?

As mentioned earlier, members of Dentsu Inc. B Team each have a personal B-side distinct from their main profession. We asked these two to define theirs.

Idris's B-side was immediately decided as "chess," just as expected. Chess saved him during high school when he was exhausted by a life consumed by studying. He wants to test the hypothesis that its various "strategies" might also be applicable to business. Using chess, which saved him, he now wants to offer hints to people exhausted by business. Doesn't this challenge sound exciting, even if you don't know much about chess?

However, the multi-talented Chris struggled to find his B-side. He wanted to tackle "Education" or "Politics," but when it came down to it, he realized those were his A-side. At a loss, Chris decided to call his mother, his trusted (and in this situation, perhaps only?) advisor.

Her first words: "Why get so negative?" It clicked for Chris. "Negative." That was his defining trait, his very mindset.
(From Naja's perspective, having lived in England as a child, his British character traits also played into this perfectly)

And so, Chris's B-side was decided: Negativity. Hearing about it later, it became clear he was a born cynic, even keeping a diary filled with daily negative quotes.

"Is it really okay to be this free!?" The mission in Japan that shocked both of them!

Team B's mission was to use their respective B-sides to announce new problem-solving concepts and methods to the world. Naturally, we gave them that mission too.

In their two months in Japan, they must create prototype methods from their respective B-sides and present them to the world.

Even these two super-talented individuals, who usually had instant answers for any problem, hit a wall. Why did they suddenly have so much time? What should they do without a "problem"? What's the difference between "correct" and "interesting"? What is "originality"? How do you get people who aren't interested to become interested?

To them, B Team Leader Kurashige taught almost one thing:

"Enjoy the flowers blooming by the roadside!"

When climbing a mountain, there may be only one summit, but there isn't just one way to reach it. And the shortest route isn't always the best. It's the experiences of taking detours and enjoying the scenery that provide the hints to enrich your ideas. At first, the two didn't understand what he meant, but by the time they returned, they had fully grasped the fun of enjoying the flowers.

So, what kind of world-first prototype did these two create?

Prototype: "8 Chess-Inspired Hints for Those Struggling in Business" by Idris

Idris's prototype begins by suggesting that when facing business challenges, you should first replace each chess piece with a business role (person).

The pawn, which can only move one square, represents junior employees still in training.
The knight, most effective at attacking the opponent, represents salespeople charging the front lines in business.
The bishop, which can move freely across the entire board given the opportunity, represents the creative director (planning role) in advertising, capable of free-thinking.
The queen, the most freely movable and crucial piece on the board, represents the CEO or other key figures holding all the keys in business.

Placing these pieces on an 8x8 grid makes it easier to objectively assess both your own and your opponent's situation, facilitating analysis of where problems lie.

Let's explore three practical business scenarios.

Tip 1: "When you're in a tight spot, do you immediately try to solve it?"

When problems arise in business, it's natural to want to fix them immediately. This tendency is especially strong among younger employees. However, sometimes "taking immediate action" can turn an advantageous position into a disadvantage. This is a common sight in chess too.

In such moments, chess players often gain an advantage by first surveying the entire board, deliberately leaving the problematic piece untouched, and focusing on other moves first. This approach can eventually lead to a stronger strategic play.

Especially during tense periods, try shifting your focus to "What else can I do to improve the overall situation?"

Hint 2: "Can junior employees attack precisely because they're protected by mid-level staff?"

Young employees already on the front lines are like pawns in chess. Pawns can only move one square at a time and are very weak on their own, but they are also the ones allowed to take the greatest risks.

For a pawn's challenge to succeed, it's crucial to have a powerful, mobile piece positioned behind it to defend the square the pawn advances to. In other words, creating a situation where if anyone threatens the junior employee, a strong attack from the senior behind them awaits... that is a brilliant move for a senior colleague.

Hint 3: "Creative Director Feeling Cornered? What Should They Do?"

Don't just watch your opponent's moves; observe your own team closely. Placing everyone in positions where they can perform at their best is what makes a strong team when it matters.

For example, to maximize a bishop's ability to move across the entire board, you need to "clear the path" so it can move. Similarly, if there's a creative director on your team who seems stuck, clearing a path for them and giving them space to move freely will help them reach their full potential.

Welcome to the Prototype "Miserable Ideation" by Chris

Chris's prototype is a card for miserable ideation.

Draw one card from a carefully selected bundle of negative words like "creepy," "smelly," "terrifying," "unsettling,"

Draw one card from a carefully selected bundle of negative words like these, then place it on

"office," "school," "smartphone,"

and other everyday objects. From there, generate the worst possible idea.

An idea generation method that combines negative adjectives with familiar objects, like "wicked chair" or "boring pencil."

Why? Because the worst and the best are two sides of the same coin. The worst ideas can become the best ideas if you change your perspective. Once you come up with a terrible idea, next think about how to present and sell that terrible idea in the best possible way. Find the "advantages precisely because it's terrible" so your boss will say, "Let's definitely do this!"

For example, if you draw "anxiety" and "office," think of an "anxiety-inducing office." Imagine a floor filled with foul odors—maybe it makes everyone finish work faster. Or a floor entirely made of glass—perhaps the adrenaline boost sparks more ideas. Creating an unhealthy cafeteria might actually make employees think more about nutritional balance.

Chris argues that it's precisely because something is "negative" that you can notice so many things. His own originality stems from constantly envisioning worst-case scenarios and viewing things from a negative perspective.

This summer, they completed two prototypes. They plan to take them to the countries they'll study in next semester, conducting experiments to further refine them.

I'm very excited to see what unique business challenges they discover in that country during the refinement process, and how chess tactics might offer hints for solutions. What unique negative words will they encounter, and how will the worst ideas solve problems?

Chris and Idris presenting prototypes that leverage each other's "B-side" strengths to Team B members.