Hi everyone, i have a question that i hope it's not too dumb or obvious. What is more important for competitions in general: learning algorithms and how to apply that algorithm in solving problems or solving random problems that require more constructive oriented or ad-hoc / observation thinking ( I know there are different styles of competitions but let's say in general). Of course you won't be able to solve a problem if the solution is an alternation of an algorithm that you don't know, but what I noticed is that till a pretty high skill (grandmaster), it suffices to know the same things as a candidate master or master. This question may sound lazy but I am curious to see what people think. Thank you very much and have a nice weekend!