Hello Codeforces!

The series of Educational Rounds continues thanks to the support of the Neapolis University Pafos. They offer a BSc in Computer Science and AI with JetBrains Scholarships. Gain cutting-edge skills in AI and machine learning, preparing you for high-demand tech careers. Curious? Check out the CSAI curriculum now. Limited scholarships available — don't miss your chance to study in Europe for free!

On Aug/15/2024 17:35 (Moscow time) Educational Codeforces Round 169 (Rated for Div. 2) will start.

This round will be rated for the participants with rating lower than 2100. It will be held on extended ICPC rules. The penalty for each incorrect submission until the submission with a full solution is 10 minutes. After the end of the contest, you will have 12 hours to hack any solution you want. You will have access to copy any solution and test it locally.

You will be given 6 or 7 problems and 2 hours to solve them.

The problems were invented and prepared by Adilbek adedalic Dalabaev, Ivan BledDest Androsov, Maksim Neon Mescheryakov and me. Also, huge thanks to Mike MikeMirzayanov Mirzayanov for great systems Polygon and Codeforces.

Good luck to all the participants!

UPD: Editorial is out

Hello! Codeforces Round 966 (Div. 3) will start at Aug/13/2024 17:40 (Moscow time). You will be offered 6-8 problems with expected difficulties to compose an interesting competition for participants with ratings up to 1600. However, all of you who wish to take part and have a rating of 1600 or higher, can register for the round unofficially.

The round will be hosted by rules of educational rounds (extended ICPC). Thus, solutions will be judged on preliminary tests during the round, and after the round, it will be a 12-hour phase of open hacks. After open hacks all accepted solutions will be rejudged on successful hacks.

You will be given 6-8 problems and 2 hours and 15 minutes to solve them.

Note that the penalty for the wrong submission in this round is 10 minutes.

Remember that only the trusted participants of the third division will be included in the official standings table. As it is written by link, this is a compulsory measure for combating unsporting behavior. To qualify as a trusted participant of the third division, you must:

• take part in at least five rated rounds (and solve at least one problem in each of them)
• do not have a point of 1900 or higher in the rating.

Regardless of whether you are a trusted participant of the third division or not, if your rating is less than 1600, then the round will be rated for you.

Problems have been created and written by our team: myav, Gornak40, senjougaharin and Vladosiya.

We would like to thank:

1. MikeMirzayanov for help with ideas and Polygon and Codeforces platforms.

2. FairyWinx, TheScrasse, Be_dos for red testing.

3. irkstepanov, Kirkon, ikrpprppp, Kaey, Bruteforceman for yellow testing.

4. Vitaly503, FBI for purple testing.

5. satyam343, vikram108 for blue testing.

6. trgt26 for green testing.

Good luck!

UPD: Editorial is out.

Hi, Codeforces!

We are pleased to invite you to EPIC Institute of Technology Round August 2024 (Div. 1 + Div. 2), which will be held on Aug/11/2024 17:35 (Moscow time).

The problems are prepared by Flamire, le0n and xcyle. You will be given 8 problems and 3 hours to solve them. Two problems are divided into two subtasks. The round will be rated for everyone.

We would like to thank everyone who has helped prepare for this round:

• TheScrasse for his brilliant coordination.
• AdunAdunov and Alexdat2000 for Russian translation.
• orzdevinwang, arvindf232, MagicalFlower, rui_er, LipArcanjo, zhaohaikun, Mr_Wu, lambert0704, acniu, wenhao801, using233, Kaey, DeadlyCritic, _RedWine_, Bossusuprem, Hihihah, FzArK, MatteoArcari, Vamperox, songhongyi, AdunAdunov for testing the round and providing useful feedback.
• MikeMirzayanov for Codeforces and Polygon.

The score distribution is 500 - 750 - 1000 - (1250 - 1250) - 2000 - (2000 - 1250) - 4000 - 6000

Good luck, have fun!

Congratulations to the winners:

1. jiangly
2. Radewoosh
3. Benq
4. Um_nik
5. maspy

UPD: Editorial is out!

And now, a few words from today's sponsor!

About EPIC Institute of Technology

EPIC Institute of Technology is an innovative educational project, driven by the Deltix team under the EPAM Systems umbrella. As part of EPIC — EPAM Product Innovation Center, we aim to cultivate the brightest minds and prepare them for a future in cutting-edge technology projects.

Why EPIC:

EPIC Institute of Technology is an accelerator for the best talents. Our students will acquire hands-on experience in one of the selected major programs, all of which are highly demanded right now on top projects, together with the fundamental knowledge, so indispensable for real professionals. Successful graduates will have a unique chance to jumpstart their career on the most challenging and interesting EPAM projects worldwide. You will join the community of intelligent and driven individuals and have an honor to work with and learn from them.

Here are the answers to the most common questions:

How much does education cost?

EPIC Institute of Technology is completely free. There are no fees to register for exams, tuition fees or any other hidden liabilities. The only restriction for getting into EPIC Institute of Technology is age. You must be older than 18 years old to become a student.

How is the educational process organized?

Each program lasts exactly one year. The academic year consists of two semesters. Courses in the first semester are the same for all programs. Courses in the second semester depend on the selected major program.

During the semester, students complete homework assignments and take 2 exams—a midterm and a final. The final grade a student gets for each training course depends on the quality of completed assignments and participation in practical classes.

How will the classes be held?

Lectures will be pre-recorded and available for self-study. Practical classes will be held at the specified time according to the provided schedule. Also, students will have an access to a Discord server, where they can discuss topics of academic interest with teachers and other students.

In what language will I study?

All programs are in English.

How can I apply?

The admissions process is as follows:

1. Fill out the form on the website.

2. Take part in one of the entrance exams that will be held in our Codeforces group. You can also find past exam breakdowns there, which may help you in your preparation. Exam dates will be announced later, so stay tuned to the announcement channel and our LinkedIn group.

3. If you successfully pass the exam, you will receive an invitation email.

What will happen after graduation?

All EPIC Institute of Technology graduates will get a diploma and the best students will be offered to join, either as an intern or a full-time position, one of the hot EPAM projects where skills acquired at EPIC Institute of Technology will be demanded.

Please visit our website to learn more about EPIC Institute of Technology and the available programs. If you have any questions, you can quickly ask them in our chat.

Wazzup Codeforcers!

sum, satyam343, and I are extremely ecstatic to invite you to Codeforces Round 965 (Div. 2) on Aug/10/2024 17:35 (Moscow time). You will be given 5 problems and 2 hours to solve them. 1 problem will have subtasks. This round will be rated for all participants with rating below 2100. We spent the most time cooking up this round than any other round, so it means a lot if you will participate.

We would like to orz the following individuals for making the contest possible:

• Our coordinatorz satyam343 for his gracious coordination and donation of his own problems to this contest.

• Our testuwuers: Benq, omeganot, maxwellzen, 244mhq, null_awe, Dominater069, A_G, Yam, IceKnight1093, Phi-001, CSQ31, fishy15, Java, kingmessi, Pols_Agyi_Pols, harsh__h, awesomeguy856, tyr0Whiz, andrewtam, oursaco, 18o3, lethan3, Stefan2417, milind0110, willy108, amsraman, MridulAhi, AryRDW, h2rsh, page_fault, IceWolf898, US3RN4M3, callmepandey, jay_jayjay, flight, xug, Qualified, Sacharlemagne, chromate00, ntarsis30, redpanda, Faizal, windreaper, yash_9a3b, Prady, Non-origination, waidenf, ETL, oddvalue, and Rahuldeb5.

• Alexdat2000 for translating the statements to Russian.

• MikeMirzayanov for developing Codeforces and Polygon (mentioning this so I don't lose 1000 social credits).

Score Distribution: $$$500 - 750 - 1250 - 1500 - (1750 + 1750)$$$

UPD: We know there has been a lot of disapproval for problem C. We're sorry for it. Please view https://mirror.codeforces.com/blog/entry/132507

UPD: Editorial

Hello Codeforces!

flamestorm, mesanu and I want to invite you to Codeforces Round 964 (Div. 4).

It starts on Aug/06/2024 17:35 (Moscow time).

The format of the event will be identical to Div. 3 rounds:

• 5-8 tasks;
• ICPC rules with a penalty of 10 minutes for an incorrect submission;
• 12-hour phase of open hacks after the end of the round (hacks do not give additional points)
• after the end of the open hacking phase, all solutions will be tested on the updated set of tests, and the ratings recalculated
• by default, only "trusted" participants are shown in the results table (but the rating will be recalculated for all with initial ratings less than 1400 or you are an unrated participant/newcomer).

Additionally, there might be problems that are interactive, so please read the guide of interactive problems before the contest.

We urge participants whose rating is 1400+ not to register new accounts for the purpose of narcissism but to take part unofficially. Please do not spoil the contest for the official participants.

Only trusted participants of the fourth division will be included in the official standings table. This is a forced measure for combating unsporting behaviour. To qualify as a trusted participant of the fourth division, you must:

• take part in at least five rated rounds (and solve at least one problem in each of them),
• do not have a point of 1400 or higher in the rating.

Regardless of whether you are a trusted participant of the fourth division or not, if your rating is less than 1400 (or you are a newcomer/unrated), then the round will be rated for you.

Many thanks to the testers: Dominater069, Qualified, Vladosiya, qwexd, Gheal, cry, haochenkang.

We suggest reading all of the problems and hope you will find them interesting!

Good Luck!

UPD: Editorial is out!

Hello Codeforces!

$$$\newline$$$

It's been a while, today GlowCheese and I are delighted to invite you to participate in Codeforces Round 963 (Div. 2). This round will be rated for all participants with a rating lower than 2100.

Our round will start on Aug/04/2024 17:35 (Moscow time). You will be given 6 problems and 120 minutes to solve them.

This contest is brought to you by Code Mely, a Vietnamese community for Computer Science. Reach out to us here.

Special thanks to:

• Akulyat for his wonderful coordination and translating our statements.
• Our testers: Umi, lmqzzz, danghuyhau, _Fake4Fun, AkiLotus, LetterC67, McPqndq, Evirir, Lyde, Hihihah, Yugi.Hacker, hhoangcp, t1r3d_, mp1309, phungthienphuoc, Etohari, aeonary_will_win_VOI25, hydroshiba, zeena., bibimoni, kodomo_tachi, StenSoSmol, Habaxl, and DOCUTEE.
• DeMen100ns, shine_, Asamai, Miko_UwU and nohandle_5 for joining with us.
• MikeMirzayanov for amazing platforms Codeforces and Polygon.
• KFC for their chicken nuggets.
• You for participating. $$$\newline$$$

Score distribution: $$$500 - 1000 - 1500 - 2000 - 2750 - (2500 - 1000)$$$

Hope to see you in the final standings!

UPD1. Editorial is out!

UPD2. Congratulations to the winners:

Div.2:

1. kkkksc03
2. imwh
3. _acsm_
4. _wrpwrp
5. rainboy

Div.1 + Div.2:

1. A_G
2. arvindf232
3. Rubikun
4. kkkksc03
5. Sugar_fan

Hi!

Today I was shown a tweet https://x.com/deedydas/status/1818477947277525242

I'll quote the text here:

International Olympiad winners often go on to start world-changing things. OpenAI, Two Sigma, Telegram, Databricks, Perplexity, Devin, Ethereum, Udemy and even Python! You'll recognize some heavy hitters on the list. Nikolai Durov may be the most decorated of then all.

And there's also an interesting table there (I see Codeforcers there!):

Codeforces will soon turn 15 years old. Maybe this is an occasion to try to compile such a list? Suggest candidates in the comments! Please include at least three fields about the person: Handle, Name, and Career.

Hello Codeforces!

The series of Educational Rounds continues thanks to the support of the Neapolis University Pafos.

On Jul/30/2024 17:35 (Moscow time) Educational Codeforces Round 168 (Rated for Div. 2) will start.

This round will be rated for the participants with rating lower than 2100. It will be held on extended ICPC rules. The penalty for each incorrect submission until the submission with a full solution is 10 minutes. After the end of the contest, you will have 12 hours to hack any solution you want. You will have access to copy any solution and test it locally.

You will be given 6 or 7 problems and 2 hours to solve them.

The problems were invented and prepared by Adilbek adedalic Dalabaev, Ivan BledDest Androsov, Maksim Neon Mescheryakov and me. Also, huge thanks to Mike MikeMirzayanov Mirzayanov for great systems Polygon and Codeforces.

Good luck to all the participants!

UPD: Editorial is out

Hello, Codeforces!

We are pleased to invite you to Pinely Round 4 (Div. 1 + Div. 2), which will start on Jul/28/2024 17:35 (Moscow time). The round will be rated for everyone.

You will be given 9 problems and 3 hours to solve them. There is at least one interactive problem, so please read the guide for interactive problems if you are unfamiliar with it.

The problems were authored and prepared by me.

We would like to thank:

• errorgorn for the excellent coordination.
• dXqwq, StarSilk, jiangbowen_, Endagorion, JCY_, jiangbowen, QwertyPi, chen_zexing, YocyCraft, zeliboba, HackerMonk, axs7384, Vladithur, davi_bart, prvocislo, leinad2, Andyvanh1, stasio6, hychyc, bitset, bonopo, Mucosolvan, RandomLB, CSQ31, Myrcella, NamelessOIer, guapisolo, Enigmurl, satyam343, Vingying0, qinyuzhou, 7oSkaaa, Geisel.Library, EpicChadGamer, AXXWTGST, and pengrui for testing the round and providing valuable feedback.
• Alexdat2000 for translating the statements to Russian.
• MikeMirzayanov for the great Codeforces and Polygon platform.

We hope you will enjoy the round!

Score distribution: $$$250 - 500 - 1000 - 1500 - 2000 - 2500 - 3000 - 3500 - 4000$$$

The editorial is here.

Congratulations to the winners!

1. tourist
2. jqdai0815
3. Radewoosh
4. ksun48
5. Rewinding
6. hos.lyric
7. jiangly
8. Benq
9. BurnedChicken
10. Szoboszlai10

This round is made possible with the support of Pinely!

Pinely is a dynamic algorithmic trading firm with a presence in Singapore, the Netherlands, and Cyprus. We specialize in high-frequency and ultra-low latency trading. Our team of mathematicians, programmers, engineers, and computer scientists tackles everyday challenges like developing trading strategies, optimizing systems for minimal latency, saving and processing large volumes of historical data.

Working at Pinely demands exceptional C++ coding, algorithmic thinking, and mathematical intuition, attracting top talent, including winners and awardees of such competitions as ICPC, IMC, HITB PRO CTF, Google HashCode, etc.

Learn more about us on our website or find our employees on CF. To join our team, please send your CV to hr@pinely.com, even if you are not participating in the contest.

Prizes: The top 30 contestants will receive a branded plush pine tree!

Hewwo Cowodeforcers!

sum and I are overjoyed to welcome you to participate in Codeforces Round 962 (Div. 3) on Jul/26/2024 17:35 (Moscow time). This contest is the last stop on our mission to problemset for every division. We hope you've been enjoying our stuff so far!

The round will be hosted by rules of educational rounds (extended ICPC). Thus, solutions will be judged on preliminary tests during the round, and after the round, it will be a 12-hour phase of open hacks. After open hacks all accepted solutions will be rejudged on successful hacks.

You will be given 7 problems and 2 hours and 15 minutes to solve them.

Note that the penalty for each wrong submission in this round is 10 minutes.

Remember that only the trusted participants of the third division will be included in the official standings table. As it is written by link, this is a compulsory measure for combating unsporting behavior. To qualify as a trusted participant of the third division, you must:

• take part in at least five rated rounds (and solve at least one problem in each of them)
• do not have a point of 1900 or higher in the rating.

Regardless of whether you are a trusted participant of the third division or not, if your rating is less than 1600, then the round will be rated for you.

We would like to orz the following individuals for making the contest possible:

• Vladosiya for the quality coordination.

• Benq and satyam343 for overseeing the creation of this contest.

• Yam, omeganot, tyr0Whiz, awesomeguy856, 18o3, Sokol080808, Phi-001, milind0110, NovusStellachan, vgoofficial, carnation13, SashaT9, Pa_sha, Qualified, Prady, ntarsis30, waidenf, Non-origination, Orange905, AceKnight7, ETL for testing the contest and providing valuable feedback.

Thank you for reading and we hope you have a fun and educational interstellar adventure :3

UPD: Editorial