"To win the championships, the team must breathe in unison." Interview with Moscow Workshops ICPC coach
The final of the ICPC World Programming Championship in July 2020 will be hosted by Moscow for the first time, and it will be organized by MIPT. On the eve of an important event for the capital, Moscow Workshops ICPC opens the summer season of training camps.
Why participation in training camps is the right way to win, said Philip Rukhovich , coach of Moscow Workshops ICPC, two-time winner and winner of the All-Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad in Computer Science 2007-2009, four-time winner of the ICPC semifinal and finalist ICPC 2014.
Philip, along with Yevgeny Belykh, member of the MIPT team Shock Content, which took 10th place and won a bronze medal at the ICPC 2019 final in Porto
It is said that genius is 1% of talent and 99% of work. Is it possible to say the same about students who are fond of sports programming?
I agree with that. Of course, innate talent in this area and predisposition are important. Such guys will be a little easier, but without hard work and a lot of training, without constant work, no success will be possible. But more than that, we can talk about talent, the right team selection and many other factors. It is clear that each Olympiad has his own strong side. Someone wonderful kodit complex systems, someone cool solves math problems. But whoever they are, first of all, erudition is needed. It often happens when a team that initially didn’t gush out with any supernormal abilities takes up hard work, a lot of cosmic workouts and achieves tremendous success, up to a victory in the World Championship in sports programming. Of course, the work here is extremely important, this is the most primary. The most important factor that can help is to enjoy it all. In my opinion, to achieve success in sports programming, it is necessary to love him very much, to love to solve problems.
What skills and knowledge do students need to participate in the training camp?
We have no principled selection, students come and participate. The required level of knowledge will depend on which division they come to. We have the most difficult division A. There is no need for a novice team. Division A is created for the most experienced participants who already know all the algorithms, have many years of experience in solving problems and will train for the championship in the 2020 final in Moscow. For those who are preparing for semi-final competitions, for slightly less experienced participants, there is Division B. There are also subject contests and lectures on complex algorithms.
Beginners are interested in Division C, which will be at the training camp in Grodno. A minimal experience of participation in ICPC competitions is required, there will be lectures on simpler algorithms. But you can't say that you can come from scratch. What is necessary for successful participation in the training camp? Confident possession of the whole team in one of the programming languages, primarily C ++ and Java, to a lesser extent Python, basic algorithmic training, at least minimal. Nevertheless, our program is based on the knowledge and skills of students. We interview participants on their skills and try to make a program that will be interesting and effective for teams who come to the training camp.
Format training greatly affects the result? Getting ready at home or coming to training camps - is there a fundamental difference?
Everyone chooses their own training format, but for successful participation it must be systematic. You can not pass one training session at the training camp and immediately beat everyone in the competition. My opinion is that you need to participate in the training camp. First, you come to another city where you may never have been. You can travel, because Moscow Workshops are without exaggeration around the world. The nearest will be held in Vladivostok and Grodno. But the most important thing in the camp is the atmosphere. If you write a contest from home, then you train as usual, and around the same everyday things. And if you come to the training camp, you have escaped from the everyday environment and are focused only on the training camp. It is so intense when you are not thinking about anything, or about additional matters, or about studying, or about work. You are focused on training. You can communicate with experienced participants, ICPC veterans. This is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people who also love programming. After all, the most important component of sports programming is the very ICPC community, the very connections. The guys will know a huge number of strong people in this field, and this will help them in their future career.
How do fees affect climate inside teams? Does this help them in decisive competitions?
Of course it helps and very well. At least because the classic training session goes like this: three people gathered, wrote content and went home. At the training camp it will not work. There the team spends a week and a half together, the participants live together, train together and in this sense breathe in unison. Charges are very conducive to team building. There is no better way to get to know each other and understand how to use the strengths of each in order to maximize the result in the contest.
Traditionally, international fees are held in a highly competitive environment. How do guys interact with future rivals for the championship, when they understand that some teams are stronger, some are weaker?
It all depends on the focus of the guys at work. Theoretically, it may be that the team arrived, found herself in the n-th place, was upset and lost faith. But the charges are good because the result of the charges is not important in itself, it will not be taken into account at the championship itself. In any contest, the winner is the one who decides more from the proposed problems here and now. There are also such precedents that teams that have long been in the lead in contests cannot get to the final. There is a purely sporting principle: it is not the one who has more experience who wins for some parameters, but the one who shows the best result here and now wins. But if you train with the strongest, it allows you to more objectively assess the real level. If you occupy a not very high place, then you understand that you need to train more actively. At the training camp and there is a complete picture of what to look for. And psychologically, training with the leaders, we begin to reach out for them. And at the training camp you can communicate with them, exchange decisions, ask something. You can even catch some trends, how to solve problems in different countries, because even the mentality can influence the ways of solving. This is another point, why it is worth participating in the training camp and not getting ready from home.
Does it happen that strong teams come to training camps and start losing to those who were a little weaker from the start?
There are many reasons why a team in some contexts shows a weaker result. Starting with the banal fatigue, because it may be the third fees for the month. Charges Moscow Workshops is becoming more and more, so it is possible that the guys are already competing from the last forces. The issue of rest during training is no less important. There is a risk to overdo and burn out. Immediately before the important competitions, for a week or two, the task is not to spend energy on unnecessary contests, but to concentrate on the upcoming one and give it a maximum. For example, at the semifinals of the World Programming Championship, in which children from leading technical universities of different countries participate. The contest is traditionally held on Sunday, and the arrival and opening is on Saturday. The guys themselves usually come on Friday morning, and their task is to rest as much as possible on this day, to disconnect from school and gain impressions of the new city.
The final of the ICPC 2020 will arrive in Moscow. Will pre-final excitement affect Moscow training camps or is the work going normally?
The final in Moscow is an exceptional event. Of course, this is not the first final in Russia, but for the first time he will come to Moscow. I will say that this does not mean that it is necessary to prepare for the final in the capital, but not for others. But we are definitely worried. After 5 years, the final returned to Russia, which is a great honor, but also a tremendous responsibility. It is necessary to prepare hard for both the organizers and the participants of our collections, for which we are waiting for all students who are passionate about Olympiad programming.
For Muscovites, we are starting September with weekly trainings on the MIPT campus in Klimentovsky Lane, which will be of great help to those who want to develop algorithmic programming and successfully defend the capital’s name at the ICPC final.
Why participation in training camps is the right way to win, said Philip Rukhovich , coach of Moscow Workshops ICPC, two-time winner and winner of the All-Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad in Computer Science 2007-2009, four-time winner of the ICPC semifinal and finalist ICPC 2014.
Philip, along with Yevgeny Belykh, member of the MIPT team Shock Content, which took 10th place and won a bronze medal at the ICPC 2019 final in Porto
How and when to participate in training camps
Training camps traditionally include lectures, seminars and contests. Depending on the level of knowledge, students can participate in four divisions:
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A: preparing for victory in the ICPC final;
B: preparation for the championship semi-final;
: preparation for qualifying rounds and ÂĽ of the ICPC championship;
D: for beginners in the ICPC world.
The first of them Discover Vladivostok in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC take place from 6 to 13 July 2019 on the basis of the Far Eastern Federal University. Behind them, July 7, opened fees in Grodno in Belarus. Young programmers from China, Mexico, Egypt, India, Lithuania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Iran, other countries and different corners of Russia came to train.
Schedule of fees Moscow Workshops ICPC for the second half of this year:
From July 6 to July 13 - Discover Vlasivostok in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Divisions B and C.
July 7-14 - Discover Grodno in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Divisions B and C.
From 7 to 14 September - the first time Discover Baikal in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for divisions C and D.
From September 21 to September 29, for the first time Discover Singapore in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Division A and, depending on set B or C.
From October 5 to October 13 - for the first time Discover Riga in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC, Division A and B or C will be opened.
And the last chance to prepare for the ICPC series of semifinals - Moscow International Workshop ICPC fees, which will be held on the MIPT campus for the strongest divisions A and B from November 5 to 14.
')
A: preparing for victory in the ICPC final;
B: preparation for the championship semi-final;
: preparation for qualifying rounds and ÂĽ of the ICPC championship;
D: for beginners in the ICPC world.
The first of them Discover Vladivostok in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC take place from 6 to 13 July 2019 on the basis of the Far Eastern Federal University. Behind them, July 7, opened fees in Grodno in Belarus. Young programmers from China, Mexico, Egypt, India, Lithuania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Iran, other countries and different corners of Russia came to train.
Schedule of fees Moscow Workshops ICPC for the second half of this year:
From July 6 to July 13 - Discover Vlasivostok in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Divisions B and C.
July 7-14 - Discover Grodno in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Divisions B and C.
From 7 to 14 September - the first time Discover Baikal in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for divisions C and D.
From September 21 to September 29, for the first time Discover Singapore in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC for Division A and, depending on set B or C.
From October 5 to October 13 - for the first time Discover Riga in collaboration with Moscow Workshops ICPC, Division A and B or C will be opened.
And the last chance to prepare for the ICPC series of semifinals - Moscow International Workshop ICPC fees, which will be held on the MIPT campus for the strongest divisions A and B from November 5 to 14.
It is said that genius is 1% of talent and 99% of work. Is it possible to say the same about students who are fond of sports programming?
I agree with that. Of course, innate talent in this area and predisposition are important. Such guys will be a little easier, but without hard work and a lot of training, without constant work, no success will be possible. But more than that, we can talk about talent, the right team selection and many other factors. It is clear that each Olympiad has his own strong side. Someone wonderful kodit complex systems, someone cool solves math problems. But whoever they are, first of all, erudition is needed. It often happens when a team that initially didn’t gush out with any supernormal abilities takes up hard work, a lot of cosmic workouts and achieves tremendous success, up to a victory in the World Championship in sports programming. Of course, the work here is extremely important, this is the most primary. The most important factor that can help is to enjoy it all. In my opinion, to achieve success in sports programming, it is necessary to love him very much, to love to solve problems.
What skills and knowledge do students need to participate in the training camp?
We have no principled selection, students come and participate. The required level of knowledge will depend on which division they come to. We have the most difficult division A. There is no need for a novice team. Division A is created for the most experienced participants who already know all the algorithms, have many years of experience in solving problems and will train for the championship in the 2020 final in Moscow. For those who are preparing for semi-final competitions, for slightly less experienced participants, there is Division B. There are also subject contests and lectures on complex algorithms.
Beginners are interested in Division C, which will be at the training camp in Grodno. A minimal experience of participation in ICPC competitions is required, there will be lectures on simpler algorithms. But you can't say that you can come from scratch. What is necessary for successful participation in the training camp? Confident possession of the whole team in one of the programming languages, primarily C ++ and Java, to a lesser extent Python, basic algorithmic training, at least minimal. Nevertheless, our program is based on the knowledge and skills of students. We interview participants on their skills and try to make a program that will be interesting and effective for teams who come to the training camp.
Format training greatly affects the result? Getting ready at home or coming to training camps - is there a fundamental difference?
Everyone chooses their own training format, but for successful participation it must be systematic. You can not pass one training session at the training camp and immediately beat everyone in the competition. My opinion is that you need to participate in the training camp. First, you come to another city where you may never have been. You can travel, because Moscow Workshops are without exaggeration around the world. The nearest will be held in Vladivostok and Grodno. But the most important thing in the camp is the atmosphere. If you write a contest from home, then you train as usual, and around the same everyday things. And if you come to the training camp, you have escaped from the everyday environment and are focused only on the training camp. It is so intense when you are not thinking about anything, or about additional matters, or about studying, or about work. You are focused on training. You can communicate with experienced participants, ICPC veterans. This is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people who also love programming. After all, the most important component of sports programming is the very ICPC community, the very connections. The guys will know a huge number of strong people in this field, and this will help them in their future career.
How do fees affect climate inside teams? Does this help them in decisive competitions?
Of course it helps and very well. At least because the classic training session goes like this: three people gathered, wrote content and went home. At the training camp it will not work. There the team spends a week and a half together, the participants live together, train together and in this sense breathe in unison. Charges are very conducive to team building. There is no better way to get to know each other and understand how to use the strengths of each in order to maximize the result in the contest.
Traditionally, international fees are held in a highly competitive environment. How do guys interact with future rivals for the championship, when they understand that some teams are stronger, some are weaker?
It all depends on the focus of the guys at work. Theoretically, it may be that the team arrived, found herself in the n-th place, was upset and lost faith. But the charges are good because the result of the charges is not important in itself, it will not be taken into account at the championship itself. In any contest, the winner is the one who decides more from the proposed problems here and now. There are also such precedents that teams that have long been in the lead in contests cannot get to the final. There is a purely sporting principle: it is not the one who has more experience who wins for some parameters, but the one who shows the best result here and now wins. But if you train with the strongest, it allows you to more objectively assess the real level. If you occupy a not very high place, then you understand that you need to train more actively. At the training camp and there is a complete picture of what to look for. And psychologically, training with the leaders, we begin to reach out for them. And at the training camp you can communicate with them, exchange decisions, ask something. You can even catch some trends, how to solve problems in different countries, because even the mentality can influence the ways of solving. This is another point, why it is worth participating in the training camp and not getting ready from home.
Does it happen that strong teams come to training camps and start losing to those who were a little weaker from the start?
There are many reasons why a team in some contexts shows a weaker result. Starting with the banal fatigue, because it may be the third fees for the month. Charges Moscow Workshops is becoming more and more, so it is possible that the guys are already competing from the last forces. The issue of rest during training is no less important. There is a risk to overdo and burn out. Immediately before the important competitions, for a week or two, the task is not to spend energy on unnecessary contests, but to concentrate on the upcoming one and give it a maximum. For example, at the semifinals of the World Programming Championship, in which children from leading technical universities of different countries participate. The contest is traditionally held on Sunday, and the arrival and opening is on Saturday. The guys themselves usually come on Friday morning, and their task is to rest as much as possible on this day, to disconnect from school and gain impressions of the new city.
The final of the ICPC 2020 will arrive in Moscow. Will pre-final excitement affect Moscow training camps or is the work going normally?
The final in Moscow is an exceptional event. Of course, this is not the first final in Russia, but for the first time he will come to Moscow. I will say that this does not mean that it is necessary to prepare for the final in the capital, but not for others. But we are definitely worried. After 5 years, the final returned to Russia, which is a great honor, but also a tremendous responsibility. It is necessary to prepare hard for both the organizers and the participants of our collections, for which we are waiting for all students who are passionate about Olympiad programming.
For Muscovites, we are starting September with weekly trainings on the MIPT campus in Klimentovsky Lane, which will be of great help to those who want to develop algorithmic programming and successfully defend the capital’s name at the ICPC final.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/459162/
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