[Feature Request] Registering for a contest

feature
feature-request
#1

Codechef should have a feature like codeforces where you have to register for the contest to view the questions. This would have many advantages, like avoid people who would view questions avoid the contest because it seems too hard. This would also help in finding cheaters (blog posters, youtube channels). So the entire system should work in following ways:

  1. Register before/during the contest to view the questions.
  2. Accounts not submitting solutions for consecutive contests and yet registering for the contest, should be banned (avoid sock-puppet accounts)
  3. Accounts found to be related to posting videos, blog posts related to ongoing contest should be banned immediately.
#2

Agreed brother. Such unethical means should be stopped. Such pages and channels are seeking short term fame. If they really want to share their esoteric knowledge, then they could once contest gets over.

I think it is the problem of long challenges. Other platforms such as codeforces don’t have such cheating incidents is because they mostly don’t have 10 days long challenges. They have just 2-3 hr challenges. So, no body gets any chance to publish any solutions. By the time one could publish answers, contest gets over. Same for topcoder.
I think as long as such 10 days long contests are there, there will always be chances of cheating.

#3

Option 1 and 3 are notable for contests, but I think option 2 is somewhat extreme especially for first-timers, or those who simply forgot the contest schedule. Trust me, I once accidentally overslept on a cook-off because it started at 3am in my timezone… yes it happens. Instead of banning, I guess a warning is enough. Obviously, I don’t want to get banned just because of negligence of my body clock.

Anyway, I am also with you in pushing for a formal rule to ban cheaters. It would be really great if there’s an official avenue where we can report such incidents to codechef. I hope @admin and the higher-ups can take note of this.

For things like the registration feature, it’s best to forward this to the CodeChef’s web developer team and send an email to feedback@codechef.com

#4

Register before/during the contest to view the questions.

Hackerrank does this too, if i am not wrong (You have to register for contest, and sometimes fill up some info). But taht blog also had hackerrank contest’s question discussion. I dont know the way codeforces registration occurs, but how is this going to help? Ultimately it falls on tracing the account which is involved in cheating. How will you do that? It will help if it can be done with accuracy, else we are abck to square one.

Accounts not submitting solutions for consecutive contests and yet registering for the contest, should be banned (avoid sock-puppet accounts)

No. Big no. Schedules change last minute. Banning is a big no-no. Also, that fake account can just submit a random WA and cross your security measure. So, whats the use?

Accounts found to be related to posting videos, blog posts related to ongoing contest should be banned immediately.

How will you find that this account is related to posting videos? Tomorrow, say, i want to get a guy banned from codechef, i just make a fake youtube account with his exact username and get him banned. Who will take guarantee of authenticity of the accusation? We again face problem i quoted in point 1.

like avoid people who would view questions avoid the contest because it seems too hard.

What?Can you clarify here?

#5

Well, Registering for a contest before/during is not an appropriate thing, what if u registered for a short contest before and due to some reason you were not able to solve the questions or take part in contest, what then? Like @vijju said hackerrank also has registration procedure still u can find post and videos related to the contest. Just 2-3 days ago i saw a person asked almost(90%) same question on codechef related to ongoing contest on hackerrank.

Well i don’t think anybody can find the account relating to posting videos or asking questions on different site until and unless the person is not revealing his or her identity or link other accounts like facebook or anything.

The only solution is to inform @admin asap!!!

#6

Agreed. None of these 3 measures have a significant impact as anyone can easily create a new account at any time.

#7

@meooow , you said the golden line!! If anyone can create a new account in 5 minutes, then these measures are kind of useless.

#8

I got a suggestion same as this in my question. My reply was the same! Registering wont help out. The channel may be made from some other email id as compared to the one registered here too!

#9

“Tomorrow, say, i want to get a guy banned from codechef, i just make a fake youtube account with his exact username and get him banned. Who will take guarantee of authenticity of the accusation? We again face problem i quoted in point 1.”

Excellent point!

#10

I just hope that Long challenges don’t get discontinued due to all this cheating. I love them! One learns so much in them…