Copied Problem in November Long Challenge

How to be a problem setter in Codechef?

  1. Have an original idea.
  2. Take an interesting problem from some other platform and add some different
    story .

Recently, i encountered a problem in Codeforces which is exactly same in idea
to A Simple Game of this long challenge.

I believe it’s not possible for contest admin to know about all such problems, but yes it’s
responsibility of Problem Setter to not do such thing, when you even get money for setting problems.

I have mentioned that codeforces problem link in comments.

@alei Please look into this issue.

23 Likes

Admin removed the problem. :smiley:

5 Likes

Thanks for noticing, We’ll remove the problem from the contest and hopefully replace it soon.

I’m not sure if the setter copied the problem though, because it is a very natural game.

Also no one in the setting panel noticed it, neither the admin, tester, editorialist, statement verifier or the other setters.

7 Likes

LOL :frowning: I hate Game theory

Can you replace a problem in GameTheory category. It is worth replacing with same category and same difficulty, TBH :slight_smile:

1 Like

Really? it is hard to find someone that doesn’t like games.

7 Likes

The problem was Fox and Cards
:laughing:

Those who want to practice can solve here !

7 Likes

Just wondering when the editorial will be published for this problem.

:stuck_out_tongue: I love games. But trying to find a logic when 2 people’s play like computer (optimally), is really putting me in hard situation.

2 Likes

that was the only problem i did solved by now.
why???

4 Likes

COMPUTER,S ARE PROGRAMMED BY PROGRAMMERS :slight_smile: SO BASICALLY IF WE WISH WE CAN PUT A COMPUTER IN HARD SITUATION :smile:.

2 Likes

Thanks , I had written the code for the problem but when I was about to check it here ,the problem was removed .At first I thought was bullshit I am doing , I thought that I was writing the code for some old contest.LOL

1 Like

It’s simple…first take rows of even sizes, each player will get half… Then take all rows of odd sizes and sort them according to the middle element and alternate sum by one turn including middle element and next turn excluding it

5 Likes

The problem statement never said that chef/Ramsay can’t jump to a different row in order to maximize their amount.

He can take from any non-empty pile. So it’s implied that he can jump maybe

1 Like

Thanks @s5960r I saw the editorial as well which also explain same strategy.

2 Likes

So suppose a line is:
1 99 2 3 4 …
So chef should be smart enough to go out of his way and pick 1 so that in next turn he is able to pick a huge number.

I don’t have the whole input now, I’ll post it as soon as I get home

1 Like

This is not fair i solved that problem by my own . Now my ranking is below those who had not solved it yet . :sneezing_face:

9 Likes

Thank you for reporting this issue. But you had no business making such a post about a problem from an ongoing contest. If you have an issue, comment it or send us an email. But posting it publicly without even waiting for a response from us is unacceptable. And neither is it acceptable for you to accuse someone of copying without any evidence. Two same/similar problems do not mean copied problems, particularly for problems which are as natural as this.

All that said, we are very sorry for not having caught this before the contest. We hope to get the replacement problem ready soon.

10 Likes

was it similarity of thoughts or its just a coincidence :thinking:

2 Likes