Today I reached 1899 on Codeforces.

Not 1900. Not Candidate Master. Just 1899 — the kind of rating that looks like progress but behaves like a trap.

I would like to thank Codeforces for its consistent ability to convert confidence into regret in under 2 hours, and the problem setters for proving once again that “easy observation” is a myth invented after the contest ends.

Special thanks to my teachers for saying things like “you just need to be more careful” (I tried, it didn’t help), and to my friends for existing in the same rating pool while somehow solving problems before I finish reading them.

Anyway, 1899 feels less like a milestone and more like a loading screen that refuses to finish.

See you at 1900… or 1899 again.