Okay so this is gonna sound insane ! but…. stay with me, because it directly affects every single one of you reading this. Yesterday I accidentally traveled in the multiverse (long story! don't you question me about the microwave) and met directly none other than Dr. Doom himself with full armor, full cape, full dramatic lighting!!!
Naturally I got panicked. But it turns out I didn't need to be scared because he wasn't there to fight me. He was there with an ultimatum for all of humanity and somehow I got picked as the messenger.
The Ultimatum
Doom's terms are clear:
If the world does not become 80% programmers by 2030, every bloody non coder aged 18 and above gets snapped out of existence.Tribute to Thanos. No negotiations.
I asked him the obvious question: "Mr Doom, what even counts as a programmer? Does writing cout << "Hello World!"; save someone?"
He stared at me like I had insulted his whole bloodline.
"No! Writing silly thing like Hello World will not make you a coder. To be spared, you have to be rated on Codeforces even with just 1 point of rating ! I don't care how low. Rated is rated. Nothing is impossible, according to me."
I pasted his direct quote. I'm not editing Doom's grammar, he's a supervillain not an English teacher. And I don’t have balls to correct him :-(
So Here's the Deal I don't make the rules, I just got cornered into delivering them by a man in a metal mask with main character energy. But since we're all in this together now:
If you haven't made a Codeforces account yet this is your sign. Doom is watching. Probably.
If you're already rated but haven't touched it in months your rating isn't going to protect anyone if you stop practicing, get back in there.
If you know someone who's 18+, has never coded, and has no idea their existence is currently on the line tag them. Genuinely doing them a favor.
A Realistic First Step You don't need to become a red coder initially. Doom's condition is literally "even 1 rating point" That means:
1.Make a Codeforces account now.
2.Dive deep into solving a bunch of easy problems (800-1000 rated).
3.Join literally any Div 2/3/4 round.
4.Get any rating number next to your name.
Congratulations, you're now, canonically, spared.
Why I'm Actually Posting This
Jokes and multiverse chaos aside competitive programming genuinely is one of the most accessible ways to start real problem solving skills, and the barrier to just starting is way lower than people think. Even I saw one of my friends waited 1 year to make a codeforces account from the last time he intended. If a fictional supervillain's absurd deadline is what finally gets someone to open Codeforces for the first time… I'll take it.
And all of this happened in my dream. Ahh..happy? NO WAY! Cause sometimes my dreams come true!
See you on the leaderboard. Or don't, I guess, and take your chances with Doom. Thanks, stay rated, stay alive. And wait for Ultimatum 2 for Newbie coders.
A question for anyone who actually read this whole thing (not just skimmed to the comments):
Doom's exact words were: "you have to be rated on Codeforces even with just 1 point of rating." Not "have an account." Not "solve a problem." Rated.
On Codeforces your rating only gets set the moment you finish your first rated contest. Not when you register, and not while a round is still running (ratings are frozen/provisional until the round officially finalizes). So here's the actual puzzle:
If someone registers for a Div 2 round tonight, participates, but the round hasn't finalized ratings yet when Doom's deadline hits at midnight are they "rated" by Doom's own definition, or not? And if the story really was "just a dream" like I said at the end… why would that technicality even matter?
Answer both parts if you can. First correct take gets bragging rights (and my eternal respect).
Drop your own guess below worst (best) one might actually become canon for Ultimatum 2.
