Faculty of Computer Science Students Took Top Three Places in Competitive Programming at Games of the Future

Photo: Organising Committee of Games of the Future in competitive programming

The Games of the Future in competitive programming were held in Kazan on February 28th–29th. 50 people from 27 countries took part in the competition. The Russian national team included seven students selected based on the results of the Russian championship organised by the Competitive Programming Federation. The team included three students from Applied Mathematics and Information Science at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.

The Games of the Future is an innovative sports show that combines classic and digital sports.

The competitions last for more than 10 days and include:

 21 disciplines

 more than 2000 participants

 107 countries

 $10 million total prize pool

The competitive programming contests were held in two rounds, each lasting five hours. During this time, the participants had to solve 24 algorithmic problems by writing code in one of the proscribed programming languages. A prize fund of $250,000 was allocated to this discipline.

According to the competition’s results, the overall winner was Fedor Romashov, a second-year student on the bachelor’s programme  in Applied Mathematics and Information Science, who solved a total of 22 problems. Fedor will become the first Master of Sports of Russia in programming.

The winner received a cash prize, as well as a tour to the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Photo: Organising Committee of Games of the Future in competitive programming

Fedor Romashov, a second-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme in 'Applied Mathematics and Information Science'

Photo: Organising Committee of Games of the Future in competitive programming

'The organisation and tasks were very good, I enjoyed all of it. While it was undoubtedly difficult, I expected to finish in the top five participants; I was almost sure that I would get into the top three, but, of course, I wanted to come first. I started the first day confidently, but the second round let me down. At first there were a lot of mistakes and unclear moments, and I felt that I could lose, but in the middle of the second round I managed to break into the top tier and gain a foothold in the leaderboard.

My teammates are very cool. Sasha is a smart programmer and mathematician, while Kirill writes code and solves problems unbelievably quickly. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses. I managed to win this time, but it was just through a stroke of luck. It is likely that Kirill or Sasha could have succeeded in other tasks, they are very talented. I am satisfied with our team and I hope we will perform well in the ICPC Finals.'

Second place was taken by Alexander Babin, a first-year student from the 'Applied Mathematics and Information Science' programme, who solved 20 problems.

Alexander Babin, a first-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme 'Applied Mathematics and Information Science'

Photo: Organising Committee of Games of the Future in competitive programming

‘The organisation of the Games of the Future was of the highest quality, and we were especially pleased with how interesting the tasks were. Despite the fact that this competition was held individually, we partly considered it as a training session before participating in the ICPC Finals, so that each one of us could make a greater contribution to teamwork. I plan to spend my prize money on improving my living conditions—this will help me concentrate on my studies.’

Third place was taken by Kirill Kudryashov, a second-year student from the Applied Mathematics and Information Science programme, who solved 17 problems in two days.

Kirill Kudryashov, a second-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme in Applied Mathematics and Information Science

Photo: Organising Committee of Games of the Future in competitive programming

‘The competition was held according to standard ICPC rules. The only difference from regular competitions is that there were two rounds of five hours and as many as 12 tasks in each round. Usually, participants solve around six problems individually or 12-14 tasks per team. So, the competition required even more concentration, continuous work on the computer and great willpower.

At the end of the competition, Fedor Romashov took his well-deserved win, which was generally expected. My second teammate, Alexander Babin, comfortably took second place, after whom I came in third. I am happy with the result and delighted for my teammates, although I faced great difficulties during both rounds, which can be seen from my huge time penalties.

Personal competition is good, of course, but in a month the three of us will have the ICPC Finals, for which we are already actively preparing in order to bring home a good result to our beloved University.’

We congratulate the participants on the excellent results of the competition and wish them success at the ICPC Finals, which will be held on April 14th–19th in Egypt.