Why Cheating in Contests is Slowly Draining My Motivation

• I've been putting in everything — consistency, effort, late nights — just to get better at CP. But lately, it feels like no matter how well I perform, my rank doesn’t reflect the effort.

• The reason? Cheating. And it’s becoming way too common.

• It’s frustrating to see the leaderboard filled with perfect submissions that don’t add up. When you know people are copying code or using unfair means, it honestly makes you question why you’re trying so hard.

• What hurts most isn’t just the rank — it’s the feeling that honest work doesn’t matter anymore.

• I really think Codeforces should consider something like what LeetCode does — delay the ratings by a few days, run plagiarism checks, clean things up before updating standings.

• I’d rather wait 5–6 days for a fair contest result than see cheaters get rewarded instantly.

• It’s not just about me. It affects everyone who’s trying to grow the right way. When cheaters rise up the ladder, the rest of us start feeling like effort isn’t worth it anymore.

• Hope Codeforces takes this seriously. We need a clean, fair platform where performance actually means something.