rng_58
Japan

TopCoder sat down with rng_58 to ask him some questions about being the new Algorithm Champion.

TC: How did it feel to see your name on the scoreboard as the TCO10 Algorithm Champion?
rng_58: I was very surprised. After the challenge phase, I was 2nd on the scoreboard. When I read the top scorer's solutions for the three problems, all of them seemed to be correct. I wasn't confident about my solutions. So I hoped to keep 2nd place when the results are announced. I replied "I was happy" to the same question after the ceremony. Japanese media invented funny translation of it. Let's see how they translate this time

TC: What was the hardest problem you faced during the final round?
rng_58: Hard (a problem about jewels). When I opened it, it seemed approachable and I felt that I must solve it to win. Fortunately I got the idea relatively quickly, but I was struggling with bugs. Quoted from TCO official blog: "rng_58 has a bug in counting the number of Rs, Gs and Bs: x and y swapped in one place." I had one more bug.

TC: What were you thinking about during the intermission? Were you confident, nervous, or excited for the challenge round?
rng_58: I was a little nervous because I dropped to 2nd place a few minutes before the intermission. But the difference was only < 25 points, so I was prepared for the challenge phase, especially for Easy (a problem about election). I was confused during the challenge phase because my Easy solution was completely different from others'.

TC: Who do you think was your toughest opponent during the TCO10 Algorithm Competition?
rng_58: ACRush. He won semifinal room 2 (he was sleepy during the semifinal!) and got 2nd in the final. I beat him only once in online rounds (there were 5 online rounds). I thought Petr would also be a tough opponent, but I didn't have a chance to compete with him in the onsite rounds.

TC: Now that you've won, are you going to keep on competing at TopCoder? What is your next goal?
rng_58: Of course I will keep on competing at TopCoder. It's really interesting. I think TopCoder problems have by far the best quality among all programming competitions. The next goal is difficult. I'm satisfied with the result of this TCO and current rating - so the next goal is going to Las Vegas next year.

TC: Of course, last but not least, what will you do with your big prize?!
rng_58: I haven't decided yet. Instead I'll write about the amount of my prize. I received money and a trophy. The trophy was broken and TopCoder admins said they will send another trophy. I will receive three trophies