Algorithm Competition Official Rules and Regulations

Eligibility  |   Registration  |   Qualification Round  |   Round Structure  |   Prizes  |   Conditions of Participation

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.

Overview of the Tournament
The 2005 TopCoder Open ("TCO") Algorithm Competition will take place between August 16 and October 14, 2005. It will consist of one (1) online qualification round, four (4) online elimination rounds and three (3) onsite final rounds, being the Semifinal, Wildcard and Championship rounds. The prize purse for this competition is $75,000 in cash. Up to 90 competitors will win a cash prize, and for competing in Online Round #1, up to 750 competitors will receive a participatory prize. The top 48 finishers in the online rounds will advance to the onsite Semifinal, Wildcard and Championship rounds being held at the Marriott in Santa Clara, California, USA on October 13th and 14th.

back to top Eligibility

TopCoder members who are at least 18 years of age as of August 16, 2005 are eligible to compete in the Algorithm Competition.

TopCoder members who are 18 years of age or older as of August 16, 2005 are eligible to win cash prizes, unless otherwise prohibited. The TopCoder Open is void in the Quebec province of Canada, and elsewhere where prohibited by applicable law. Cash prizes will not be paid to residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria.

Employees of TopCoder, Inc. and of all official tournament sponsors, regardless of commitment date as sponsor, including any companies involved in the production (including prize suppliers), implementation and distribution of this tournament and their advertising or promotion agencies, parent companies, service providers, agents, officers, subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other persons or entities directly associated with the tournament and members of the immediate families and/or persons living in the same household as such persons, are ineligible to enter the tournament. If a competitor's employer signs up as an official sponsor of the tournament on or after August 1, 2005, then that competitor will be disqualified from participating further in the tournament. TopCoder members who are performing internships for any official tournament sponsor between August 1 and October 14, 2005 are also ineligible to compete.

Those ineligible to compete, email Jessie D’Amato for information on other opportunities.

In the event that a competitor is disqualified from any round, no other competitors will be added in his/her place. The only exception to this is advancement to the onsite rounds.

back to top Registration

Registration for the 2005 TopCoder Open Algorithm Competition will open at 9:00AM EDT on Monday, August 1, 2005, and will close at 9:00AM EDT on Tuesday, August 16, 2005. In order to be eligible to compete in the Algorithm Competition, competitors must be a registered TopCoder member and have registered separately for the Algorithm Competition. There is no limit to the number of registrants for the competition, however each individual may only register once.

Qualification Round - Noon EDT Tuesday, August 16 through Noon EDT Wednesday, August 17, 2005

The Qualification Round will be open for 24 hours from Noon EDT Tuesday, August 16 through Noon EDT Wednesday, August 17, 2005. Each competitor may participate in the Qualification Round at any time during the 24 hours. Competitors may only attempt to qualify one time using one account during the 24 hours.

The Qualification Round will consist of only two phases: the Coding Phase and System Testing Phase.
Note: The Qualification Round will not include a Challenge Phase.
  • The Qualification Round Coding Phase is a timed event where contestants are randomly presented with one of five possible problem sets. Each problem set contains two questions representing two levels of complexity and, accordingly, two levels of point earnings potential. Points for a question are awarded upon submission of any solution that successfully compiles and are calculated based on the total time elapsed from the time the question was opened to the time it was submitted. Competitors will have 60 minutes to complete either or both of the problems. The 60 minutes will begin to elapse once the first problem is opened. The timer in the coding window will count down to the end of the 60 minutes. A competitor who begins the qualification attempt within the final 60 minutes of the Qualification Round will have less than 60 minutes to attempt qualification.
  • The Qualification Round System Testing Phase is applied to all submitted code at the conclusion of the Qualification Round. If the TopCoder System Test finds code that is flawed, the author of that code submission will lose all of the points that were originally earned for that code submission. The automated tester will apply a set of inputs, expecting the output from the code submission to be correct. If the output from a coder's submission does not match the expected output, the submission is considered flawed. The same set of input/output test cases will be applied to all code submissions for a given question.
Upon logging in to the TopCoder Arena during the Qualification Round, each competitor who has registered for the Algorithm Competition will receive a message indicating which set of problems he/she has been assigned. The highest 150 positive (i.e., greater than zero) scorers from each of the five problem sets presented during the Qualification Round will be eligible to compete in Online Round #1 of the Algorithm Competition. A maximum of 750 competitors will advance to Online Round #1. Members will be rated at the conclusion of the Qualification Round based on their performance against others presented with the same problem set.

NOTE: In the event of a tie for any advancing position during the Qualification Round, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:
  • By rating (higher is better) prior to the Qualification Round.
  • If a tie still remains, all tied coders will advance to the next round.
back to top Online Elimination Rounds

Everyone who competes in an online round must register for each round in the TopCoder Competition Arena no later than five (5) minutes prior to the start of the online round. TopCoder members from around the world may be participating in the online rounds, but all start times will be communicated as Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4), so contestants in different time zones must adjust accordingly. If a coder does not participate, for any reason, in an online round he/she has advanced to, it will be treated as an automatic loss in that round of competition.

All competitors who have qualified for an online round will be assigned to a specific room, based on their TopCoder rating after the previous round. TopCoder will determine all room assignments prior to the start of each online round in the TopCoder Iron Man format, which assigns members to rooms according to their rating after the previous round, such that members with the higher ratings are assigned to the lower numbered rooms. Each room in an online round will be assigned 25 competitors.

The dates and times of the online rounds of competition are as follows:

Round of Competition Date and Time * (all Eastern Daylight Time)
Online Round #1 Saturday, August 20th
Register: 9:00 - 11:55 AM
START: 12:00 PM (Noon)
Online Round #2 Wednesday, August 24th
Register: 6:30 - 9:25 PM
START: 9:30 PM
Online Round #3 Wednesday, August 31st
Register: 6:30 - 9:25 PM
START: 9:30 PM
Online Round #4 Wednesday, September 7th
Register: 6:30 - 9:25 PM
START: 9:30 PM
*NOTE: In the event that a round must be cancelled for any reason, the "rain date" for the cancelled match will be the following day at the same time.


Scoring and Advancing during Online Rounds
After each round of competition, the highest scorers from across all rooms will be identified and will advance to the next online round. Coder advancement in all rounds is determined by comparing the total point values from all three phases of the round for each coder. In order to advance, a coder must finish each round with a positive (i.e., greater-than-zero) point total. The structure of the online rounds is as follows:
  • Online Round #1
    Up to 750 coders will compete in Round #1 and up to 400 will advance. The highest 400 scorers across all rooms will advance to Online Round #2.
  • Online Round #2
    Up to 400 coders will compete and up to 200 will advance. The highest 200 scorers across all rooms will advance to Online Round #3.
  • Online Round #3
    Up to 200 coders will compete and up to 100 will advance. The highest 100 scorers across all rooms will advance to Online Round #4.
  • Online Round #4
    Up to 100 coders will compete and up to 48 will advance. The highest 48 scorers across all rooms will advance to the field of Semifinalists.
NOTE: In the event of a tie for any advancing position during the online rounds, the tie will be resolved in the following manner:
  • Total points acquired (higher is better) during the previous online rounds of the tournament (excluding the Qualification Round).
  • If a tie still remains, then by rating (higher is better) following the Qualification Round.
  • If a tie still remains, all tied coders will advance to the next round.
Competition Round Structure
With the exception of the Qualification Round, each online and onsite round of competition consists of three phases: the Coding Phase, Challenge Phase, and System Testing Phase. (Note: The format of these competition rounds is similar to the format of TopCoder Single Round Matches. The rules in place for the Single Round Matches as of August 16, 2005 will also apply to the online and onsite rounds of the TCO, with the exception of the Unused Code Rule during the onsite rounds.)
  • The Coding Phase is a timed event where all contestants are presented with the same three questions representing three levels of complexity and, accordingly, three levels of point earnings potential. Points for a problem are awarded upon submission of any solution that successfully compiles and are calculated on the total time elapsed from the time the problem was opened until the time it was submitted. During the online rounds, the Coding Phase will last 75 minutes. During the onsite rounds, the Coding Phase will last 85 minutes.
  • The Challenge Phase is a timed event wherein each competitor has a chance to challenge the functionality of other competitors' code. A successful challenge will result in a loss of the original problem submission points by the defendant, and a 50-point reward for the challenger. Unsuccessful challengers will incur a point reduction of 25 points as a penalty, applied against their total score in that round of competition. During the online rounds, the Challenge Phase will last 15 minutes. During the onsite round, the Challenge Phase will last 10 minutes.
  • The System Testing Phase is applied to all submitted code that has not already been successfully challenged. If the TopCoder System Test finds code that is flawed, the author of that code submission will lose all of the points that were originally earned for that code submission. The automated tester will apply a set of inputs, expecting the output from the code submission to be correct. If the output from a coder's submission does not match the expected output, the submission is considered flawed. The same set of input/output test cases will be applied to all code submissions for a given problem. All successful challenges from the Challenge Phase will be added to the sets of inputs for the System Testing Phase.
Onsite Semifinal and Championship Rounds
The forty-eight (48) advancers from Online Round #4 will travel to the Santa Clara Marriott on either Tuesday, October 11th or Wednesday, October 12th to compete in the Semifinal round of the tournament being held on Thursday, October 13th. All contestants must arrive at the Santa Clara Marriott no later than 4:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, October 12th. All contestants must confirm their attendance at the onsite rounds no later than 5:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 21, 2005. That is, contestants must have acquired any necessary travel visas and know for certain that they can travel to the US by that date and time. If a contestant is unable to attend the onsite rounds, he/she will forfeit his/her eligibility to receive any prizes awarded to onsite finalists, and his/her spot in the tournament will be given to the next highest overall scorer from Online Round #4.

TopCoder will provide travel arrangements for each competitor up to a cost of $1,000 per person. (That is, if a contestant's airfare is greater than $1,000, the difference between the cost of the airfare and $1,000 will be deducted from the contestant's total TCO prize money won. If the contestant's total TCO prize money is not sufficient to cover the additional costs, the contestant will be responsible for remitting to TopCoder the remainder of the cost.) TopCoder will also provide ground transportation to and from the airport, as well as hotel accommodations and certain meals for each contestant. All other expenses are the responsibility of the contestant. TopCoder will not provide travel or lodging accommodations for competitor guests at the 2005 TCO.

TopCoder will determine the room assignments for the Semifinal rooms prior to the start of each Semifinal round, in a manner such that the average competitor rating following Online Round #4 for each room will be similar. The dates and times of the onsite Semifinal and Championship rounds are as follows:

Round of Competition Date and Time (all Pacific Standard Time)
Semifinal Room #1 Thursday, October 13, 10:00 AM
Semifinal Room #2 Thursday, October 13, 1:00 PM
Semifinal Room #3 Thursday, October 13, 4:00 PM
Wildcard Round Friday, October 14, 8:00 AM
Championship Round Friday, October 14, 2:30 PM


The Semifinal Round will consist of three (3) rooms of sixteen (16) coders each. The two (2) highest scorers in each room will advance to the Championship Round. The next four (4) highest scorers in each round will participate in one (1) Wildcard Round. The two (2) highest scorers of the Wildcard Round will also advance to the Championship Round.

The Championship Round will be a single round of eight (8) coders. Placement in the Championship round is determined by comparing the total points of each coder, with the highest point value placing first. The winner of the Championship Round will be the coder with the highest point total for the round. In the event of a tie in the Semifinal, Wildcard and/or Championship rounds, the tie will be resolved in the following manner (in order):
  • Total points acquired (higher is better) during Online Rounds #1, #2, #3 and #4 of the 2005 TopCoder Open.
  • If a tie still remains, then by rating (higher is better) following Online Round #4.
    • If a tie still remains in the Semifinal or Wildcard round, then all tied coders will advance to the Championship Round
    • If a tie still remains in the Championship round, then the prize money will be distributed equally amongst the tied coders
back to top About the Prizes

The tournament will award prizes to up to 750 competitors and $75,000 in cash prizes. Any and all applicable taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Prizes will be distributed as follows:

Competitor(s) Prize
1st place finisher* - Algorithm Competition Champion $20,000
2nd place finisher* in the Championship Round $10,000
3rd place finisher* in the Championship Round $5,000
4th place finisher* in the Championship Round $2,500
5th - 8th place finishers* in the Championship Round $1,200 each
9th - 48th place finishers* in the Semifinal Rounds $500 each
Online Round #4
  • Highest scorer in each room
  • 2nd Highest scorer in each room
  • 3rd Highest scorer in each room
  • $250
  • $150
  • $100
Online Round #3
  • Highest scorer in each room
  • 2nd Highest scorer in each room
  • 3rd Highest scorer in each room
  • $150
  • $100
  • $75
Online Round #2
  • Highest scorer in each room
  • 2nd Highest scorer in each room
  • 3rd Highest scorer in each room
  • $100
  • $75
  • $50
Online Round #1
  • Highest scorer in each room
  • 2nd Highest scorer in each room
  • 3rd Highest scorer in each room
  • $75
  • $50
  • $25
Up to 750 competitors who compete in Online Round #1 Limited edition 2005 TopCoder Open t-shirt
* Prize will be awarded at the conclusion of the Championship Round. Winner must be present at the onsite rounds to receive prize.


back to top Conditions of Participation

By participating in the tournament, you agree to be bound by these rules and to all decisions of TopCoder, which are final, binding and conclusive in all matters. Also, by participating in this tournament, you consent to providing certain information to Sun Microsystems, Inc. for Java Studio Creator promotional purposes. Such information shall include the information contained in your TopCoder member profile and your competition statistics.

Contestants must not cheat. All ideas for any code and/or challenge submitted must be the contestant's alone.

All decisions relating to the viability of submissions, the ranking of submissions and all other matters pertaining to the tournament shall be within the sole discretion of TopCoder or its designee and shall be final and binding in all respects.

Prizewinners will be notified via e-mail within 10 days of the completion of each round that they have won a prize. Cash prize winners from all online rounds must complete the following documents within 60 days of the date of the online round during which a cash prize was awarded:
  • Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release (must be notarized unless a notarized affidavit is already on file with TopCoder)
  • Applicable tax form (unless one is already on file with TopCoder)
All contestants who advance to Online Round #4 must complete the following items by 9:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 7, 2005:
  • Competitor Questionnaire - the questions and responses may be published in the 2005 TopCoder Open program
  • Update your member profile, including t-shirt size and address
  • Send in a member photo if one is not already on file
Failure to submit the above items on time will result in a forfeit of any prize money won during Online Round #4 and/or advancement as an onsite finalist.

Contestants who advance to the onsite tournament rounds must also complete the following items and submit them to TopCoder by 5:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 21, 2005:
  • Travel form - provides TopCoder with the appropriate travel information for your trip to the onsite tournament rounds
  • Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release
    • TopCoder must receive the original copy of a notarized affidavit unless a notarized affidavit is already on file with TopCoder. The document must be postmarked by September 21, 2005, and must be sent in such a manner that it will arrive at TopCoder no later than October 5, 2005.
    • If TopCoder already has a notarized affidavit and a tax form on file for a contestant, that contestant may affirm the affidavit online. No hardcopy needs to be sent to TopCoder.
  • Applicable tax form (unless one is already on file with TopCoder)
All prizes (cash prizes and participatory prizes) will be sent within 60 days of the Championship Round. Unclaimed or undeliverable prizes will be forfeited. Competitors who do not submit the required information listed above by the applicable deadlines will forfeit their prizes.

As a condition of participation in the tournament, all information provided by participants in their TopCoder member profiles must be comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date. TopCoder may require participants to complete an additional registration form to register for the tournament. In order to be eligible to participate in the tournament, participants must have completed any and all registration forms required by TopCoder.

As a condition of winning and redeeming a cash prize, certain contestants will be required to submit a completed (i) Competitor Questionnaire, (ii) Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, and (iii) IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN, as appropriate, if one is not already on file with TopCoder; and (iv) travel form. In completing the Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release, a cash prize winner (a) confirms his/her eligibility, (b) represents and warrants that he/she has not cheated; that the idea for the code and/or challenge submitted is his/hers alone, (c) verifies the accuracy of the demographic information submitted to, and contained in, the TopCoder member database, (d) authorizes TopCoder to publicize the tournament's results, (e) agrees to sign any applicable forms required by tax authorities, (f) licenses to TopCoder rights to all information submitted during the tournament (including rights to source code and other executables), and (g) releases TopCoder from liability arising out of any prize won. TopCoder requires contestants to complete the Form W-9 or W-8BEN for tax reporting purposes. If prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if the cash prize winner fails to return the Questionnaire, Affidavit, W-9 or W-8BEN, or travel form, as specified, the cash prize winner will be disqualified and the prize money won by the disqualified cash prize winner will be forfeited. Providing false information in the registration process or in the required forms described in this paragraph will disqualify a cash prize winner.

By participating in a tournament and redeeming a prize, a winner releases and agrees to hold harmless TopCoder, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, sponsors, and prize suppliers, and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents, from and against any and all liability for any loss, property damage or damage to person, including without limitation, death and injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from or arising out of participation in this tournament, or participation in any tournament-related activity, or the receipt, use or misuse of a prize. TopCoder specifically disclaims all liability associated with, and makes no warranties with regard to, any prize given.

In addition, all prizewinners agree to cooperate with TopCoder's publicity efforts, without further compensation. This includes the agreement to use their name, handle, address (city and state) and likeness for publicity purposes, where legal, for this or similar future tournaments, and to use the statements made by, or attributed to, the winners relating to TopCoder and any and all rights to said use, without further compensation. Furthermore, all prizewinners agree to promptly notify TopCoder if a third-party, including a tournament sponsor, contacts the prizewinner regarding employment opportunities and/or media interest as a result of the prizewinner's participation in the tournament.

TopCoder reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to revoke any and all privileges associated with competing in this tournament, and to take any other action it deems appropriate, for no reason or any reason whatsoever, including if TopCoder suspects competitors of cheating, tampering with the entry process, the operation of the Web site, or the tournament process, or otherwise being in violation of the rules. TopCoder reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the tournament if it is not capable of completion as planned for any reason, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.

Other
The tournament is void in whole or in part where prohibited by law.

A list of tournament winners by coder handles will be available on the web site at http://www.topcoder.com/tc, and will be displayed for at least 3 months after the end of the tournament.

This tournament is brought to you by TopCoder, Inc. (http://www.topcoder.com/) 703 Hebron Avenue (now 95 Glastonbury Blvd), Glastonbury, CT 06033.

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