LoneFox's blog

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

The finals of the 2021 Facebook Hacker Cup are less than 72 hours away!

On Sat. Dec. 11th at 6:30 — 10:30am PT, our 25 finalists will compete in the Hacker Cup finals for the grand prize of $20,000 USD and title of Hacker Cup champion! Like last year, the finals will be held online.

Check out SecondThread's post for a list of the finalists along with their Codeforces handles and other stats!

You can follow along with the scoreboard and contest problems here.

After the conclusion of the contest, at 11:00am PT, the results will be revealed in a live stream on the Hacker Cup Facebook page!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +55
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

Round 3 of the 2021 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on October 9th, 2021 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 3 if you were among the top 500 contestants in Round 2.

The top 200 contestants will win a Facebook Hacker Cup t-shirt with a "Top 200" badge, and the top 25 contestants will also advance to the Final Round, which will be hosted virtually and live streamed at www.facebook.com/hackercup later this year. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +111
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

Round 2 of the 2021 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on September 25th, 2021 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 2 if you scored at least 24 points in Round 1.

The top 2000 competitors who solve at least one problem in this round will receive a Facebook Hacker Cup t-shirt! We'll begin shipping out t-shirts by early 2022 or earlier, at which point the winners will receive emails with tracking information.

Furthermore, the top 500 competitors will advance to Round 3, taking place on Oct. 9th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round end, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +308
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

Round 1 of the 2021 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on September 11th, 2021 at 10am PDT and will last for 24 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 1 if you solved at least one problem correctly in the Qualification Round.

Everyone who scores at least 24 points (regardless of time taken) will advance to Round 2, which will take place on Sat. Sept. 25th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +131
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

The Qualification Round of the 2021 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on August 27th, 2021 at 10am PDT and will last for 72 hours (3 days). The contest can be found here.

Everyone who solves at least one problem correctly will advance to Round 1, which will take place on September 11th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

Registration will remain open on the contest page until the end of the Qualification Round. Once you've registered, you may wish to confirm that the information in your competition profile is up to date. In addition to choosing a Display Handle for yourself there, you may now also indicate which country you’d like to represent on scoreboards.

This year's contests will feature a new submission flow making it easier to download large input files. For each problem, you'll now download the full input in a password-protected zip file, and the 6-timer will only begin when you then request the password to access your file. You'll also be given the option to directly download the raw input file (as in past years) in case you have trouble with the zip file. Please see the “How do I submit my solution?” section of the FAQ for more details.

Last year’s increased prizes are making a return in the 2021 Hacker Cup season, including 2,000 t-shirts to be won and a $20,000 grand prize.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +152
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 3 years ago, In English

It’s that time of year again — the Hacker Cup team is excited to announce the schedule for our 2021 season, kicking off on August 27th!

To compete, you can register here at any time between now and the end of the qualification round on Aug. 30th.

As in 2020, we will host this year's Final Round virtually rather than in-person at a Facebook office, given the current global situation. The finals will take place towards the end of 2021, and details regarding the schedule and live stream will be announced later on.

Stay tuned for more announcements as we get closer to the start of the season in August. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you on the Qualification Round’s scoreboard!

The Facebook post announcing the schedule can be found here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +192
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 4 years ago, In English

The finals of the 2020 Facebook Hacker Cup are less than 48 hours away!

On Sat. Dec. 5th at 6:30 — 10:30am PT, our 25 finalists will compete in our first all-virtual finals for the grand prize of $20,000 USD and title of Hacker Cup champion!

You can follow along with the scoreboard and contest problems here.

After the conclusion of the contest, at 11:00am PT, the results will be revealed in a live stream on the Hacker Cup Facebook page!

The Facebook post can be found here.


Update: The round has ended; congratulations to the finalists! The result reveal video can be found here, and the solutions here.

Update: Screencasts are available from Andrew He (ecnerwala) and Neal Wu.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +115
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 4 years ago, In English

Round 3 of the 2020 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on September 12th, 2020 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 3 if you were among the top 200 contestants in Round 2.

The top 25 contestants will also advance to the Final Round, which will be hosted virtually and live streamed at www.facebook.com/hackercup later this year. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

The Facebook post can be found here.


Update: The round has ended, thank you for participating! The scoreboard can be found here, and the solutions here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +62
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 4 years ago, In English

Round 2 of the 2020 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on August 29th, 2020 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 2 if you scored at least 25 points in Round 1.

Everyone who solves at least one problem will receive a Facebook Hacker Cup t-shirt, and shirts for the top 200 contestants will include a “Top 200” badge! We'll begin shipping out t-shirts by early 2021 or earlier, at which point the winners will receive emails with tracking information.

The top 200 contestants will also advance to Round 3, taking place on Sept. 12th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round end, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

The Facebook post can be found here.


Update: The round has ended, thank you for participating! The scoreboard can be found here, and the solutions here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +140
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 4 years ago, In English

Round 1 of the 2020 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on August 15th, 2020 at 10am PDT and will last for 24 hours. The contest can be found here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 1 if you solved at least one problem correctly in the Qualification Round.

Everyone who scores at least 25 points (regardless of time taken) will advance to Round 2, which will take place on Sat. Aug. 29th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

The Facebook post can be found here.


Update 1: Due to an error with problem B (Dislodging Logs), only 25 points are now required to advance to Round 2, rather than 30.

Update 2: The round has ended, thank you for participating! The scoreboard can be found here, and the solutions here.

Update 3: As an update on prizes, everybody who solves at least one problem in the upcoming Round 2 will receive a Facebook Hacker Cup t-shirt! The top 200 competitors from Round 2 will also have a "Top 200" badge on their shirt.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +87
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 4 years ago, In English

The Qualification Round of the 2020 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on July 24th, 2020 at 10am PDT and will last for 72 hours (3 days). The contest can be found on Hacker Cup's new competition site.

Everyone who solves at least one problem correctly will advance to Round 1, which will take place on August 15th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found in the FAQ.

Registration will remain open on the contest page until the end of the Qualification Round. Once you've registered, you may wish to confirm that the information in your competition profile is up to date. Starting this year, you may also choose a Display Handle for yourself there, to be displayed alongside your real name on scoreboards.

Look out for an upcoming announcement regarding this season's prizes as well!

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!


Update 1: Facebook post announcing greatly increased cash prizes for 2020 can be found here, with more details available in the FAQ!

Update 2: The round has ended, thank you for participating! The scoreboard can be found here, and the solutions here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +230
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, 4 years ago, In English

It’s that time of year again — the Hacker Cup team is excited to announce the schedule for our 2020 season, kicking off on July 24th!

To compete, you can register here at any time between now and the end of the qualification round on July 27th.

This year, we will host the final round virtually rather than in-person at a Facebook office, given the current global situation. The finals will take place towards the end of 2020, and details regarding the schedule and live stream will be announced later on.

We’ll also have some exciting news to share about this year’s season… but not quite yet. Stay tuned for a bigger announcement in early July!

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you on the qualification round’s scoreboard!


Update 1: Facebook post announcing the schedule can be found here!

Update 2: Facebook post announcing greatly increased cash prizes for 2020 can be found here, with more details available in the FAQ!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +617
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, 5 years ago, In English

The 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup Onsite Finals are less than 48 hours away!

25 finalists will compete at Facebook's office in Dublin, Ireland! The round will begin on October 25th, 2019 at 1:30pm IST and will last for 4 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The round will be available here.

After the conclusion of the contest, at around 6:00pm IST, the results will be revealed in a live stream on the Hacker Cup Facebook page!

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +107
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 5 years ago, In English

Round 3 of the 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on July 27th, 2019 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

You're eligible to compete in Round 3 if you were among the top 200 contestants in Round 2.

The top 25 contestants will advance to the Final Round, which will take place on October 24th-26th onsite at Facebook's offices in Dublin, Ireland! Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The round has ended, and solutions have been posted here. Thanks for participating!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +32
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 5 years ago, In English

Round 2 of the 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on July 13th, 2019 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

You're eligible to compete in Round 2 if you scored at least 30 points in Round 1.

The top 200 contestants will advance to Round 3, which will take place on July 27th, and the top 500 contestants will win Hacker Cup t-shirts! We'll begin shipping out t-shirts by September, at which point the winners will receive emails with tracking information. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The round has ended, and solutions have been posted here. Thanks for participating!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +168
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 5 years ago, In English

Round 1 of the 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on June 29th, 2019 at 10am PDT and will last for 24 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

You're eligible to compete in Round 1 if you solved at least one problem correctly in the Qualification Round.

Everyone who scores at least 30 points (regardless of time penalty) will advance to Round 2, which will take place on July 13th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The round has ended, and solutions have been posted here. Thanks for participating!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +119
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 5 years ago, In English

The Qualification Round of the 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 48 hours away!

The round will begin on June 14th, 2019 at 10am PDT and will last for 72 hours (3 days). You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

Everyone who solves at least one problem correctly will advance to Round 1, which will take place on June 29th. Please note that all submission judgments will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Registration will remain open until the end of the Qualification Round, so make sure to register if you haven't already, or confirm that your information is up to date if you have.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The round has ended, and solutions have been posted here. Thanks for participating!

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +151
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, 6 years ago, In English

The Hacker Cup team is excited to announce the dates for the online rounds of the 2019 Facebook Hacker Cup! You can register here at any time between now and the end of the qualification round.

Online Qualification Round (72 hours): June 14, 2019, 10am PDT — June 17, 2019, 10am PDT

Online Round 1 (24 hours): June 29, 2019, 10am PDT — June 30, 2019, 10am PDT

Online Round 2 (3 hours): July 13, 2019, 10am PDT — 1pm PDT

Online Round 3 (3 hours): July 27, 2019, 10am PDT — 1pm PDT

The onsite Hacker Cup Finals will be held around late October, 2019 at a time and location to be announced.

The Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The finals will take place on October 24-26 at Facebook's office in Dublin, Ireland! (Facebook post)

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +145
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 6 years ago, In English

The 2018 Facebook Hacker Cup Onsite Finals are less than 12 hours away!

24 finalists will compete at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California! The round will begin on November 2nd, 2018 at 1:30pm PDT and will last for 4 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The round will be available here.

After the conclusion of the contest, at around 6:00pm PDT, the results will be revealed in a live stream on the Hacker Cup Facebook page!

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +108
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 6 years ago, In English

Round 3 of the 2018 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 24 hours away!

The round will begin on August 18th, 2018 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

You're eligible to compete in Round 3 if you were among the top 200 contestants in Round 2.

The top 25 contestants will advance to the Final Round, which will take place in early November, onsite at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California! Please note that all submission judgements will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +38
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 6 years ago, In English

Round 2 of the 2018 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 24 hours away!

The round will begin on August 4th, 2018 at 10am PDT and will last for 3 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

You're eligible to compete in Round 2 if you scored at least 35 points in Round 1.

The top 200 contestants will advance to Round 3, which will take place on August 18th, and the top 500 contestants will win Hacker Cup t-shirts! We'll begin shipping out t-shirts in September, at which point the winners will receive emails with tracking information. Please note that all submission judgements will only be revealed after the round ends, and that time penalty will be used to break score ties. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +71
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 6 years ago, In English

Round 1 of the 2018 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 24 hours away!

The round will begin on July 21st, 2018 at 10am PDT and will last for 24 hours. You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here.

You're eligible to compete in Round 1 if you solved at least one problem correctly in the Qualification Round.

Everyone who at least 35 points (regardless of time penalty) will advance to Round 2, which will take place on August 4th. Please note that all submission judgements will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Good luck!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +40
  • Vote: I do not like it

By LoneFox, history, 6 years ago, In English

The Qualification Round of the 2018 Facebook Hacker Cup is less than 24 hours away!

The round will begin on July 6th, 2018 at 4pm PDT and will last for 72 hours (3 days). You can check the start time in your local timezone here.

The contest will be available here shortly before the round begins.

Everyone who solves at least one problem correctly will advance to Round 1, which will take place on July 21st. Please note that all submission judgements will only be revealed after the round ends. More details about rules and other information can be found here.

Registration will remain open until the end of the Qualification Round, so make sure to register if you haven't already, or confirm that your information is up to date if you have.

We wish you the best of luck, and hope that you enjoy the contest!

The corresponding Facebook post can be found here.

Update: The editorial is now available here.

Full text and comments »

  • Vote: I like it
  • +115
  • Vote: I do not like it