paulzrm's blog

By paulzrm, 4 weeks ago, In English

Hello, Codeforces!

We are glad to invite you to participate in Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 1) and Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 2) on Aug/09/2026 17:35 (Moscow time).

The round will be rated for participants from both divisions. You will be given 6 problems and 2 hours and 30 minutes to solve them. At least one of the problems will be divided into subtasks.

Please note that this contest contains at least one run-twice (communication) problem. Please read the guides for run-twice problems before the contest if you are unfamiliar with them.

All problems were authored and prepared by Error_Yuan and me, paulzrm.

More than eight years after Codeforces Round 449, Chtholly Nota Seniorious — the happiest girl in the world — is returning to Codeforces!

In this round, you will once again meet Chtholly, Nephren, Ithea, Willem, and other characters from What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?, and help them overcome a new series of challenges.

We would like to thank:

The scoring distribution will be announced later.

We hope you enjoy the problems and Chtholly’s story.

Good luck and have fun!

UPD1: The Scoring distribution is:

  • Div. 1: 500 — 1000 — 1750 — 1750 — (1750 + 1250) — 3500
  • Div. 2: 500 — 1000 — 1500 — 2000 — 2750 — 3000

UPD2: The editorial is out.

UPD3: Congratulations to the winners!

Div. 1 (subject to change):

  1. turmax
  2. noimi
  3. maspy
  4. squareOf105
  5. Milmon

Div. 2 (subject to change):

  1. lvsedeqinglvse
  2. Cucumber0721
  3. Smarth_coder
  4. asterunee
  5. Chth_kitten

We would also like to congratulate the first solvers of each problem (subject to change):

  1. Div. 2 A: Forestmy17 00:01
  2. Div. 2 B: asterunee 00:04
  3. Div. 1 A / Div. 2 C: A_G 00:02
  4. Div. 1 B / Div. 2 D: maspy 00:05
  5. Div. 1 C / Div. 2 E: literalchild 00:19
  6. Div. 1 D / Div. 2 F: de1uxegg 00:23
  7. Div. 1 E1: __baozii__ 01:02
  8. Div. 1 E2: ABCaCaCa_ 01:10
  9. Div. 1 F: turmax 01:34
  • Vote: I like it
  • +445
  • Vote: I do not like it

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

I hope this round doesnt become semi-rated

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

As a participant, I hope to see high-quality problems

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 4  
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

As a participant... Hope that Run-Twice problems will be in Div. 2 C-D.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

As a tester, your rating delta after this contest will be a dirac delta.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +8 Vote: I do not like it

return of chtholly (tree?)

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -10 Vote: I do not like it

Secretly hoping for div1E to be AVXable again

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

As a tester I think the problems are interesting!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +16 Vote: I do not like it

I see a *certain renowned problem setter who happens to be a red tester for this round. Looking forward to positive delta for us all on this round

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +10 Vote: I do not like it
»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Let me hit 1500 elo please <3

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Nice communication problem

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Yet Another Chtholly Round!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Wow!!! Yet another Chtholly Round!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -9 Vote: I do not like it

why aaa_Pigeon2?

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

As a tester,the problems are interesting.Good luck and have fun!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

Finally an anime round!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

yeaaaaaaaa she has returned

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

wow! another contest in such a short period of time!!!!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Chtholly round once again after 8 years, but no more ODT problems :(

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +33 Vote: I do not like it

orz XG0000

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD!!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 3  
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

As a tester, I'm told by paulzrm that G is *800, and I have no comment about that.

upd: 1E

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

I hope that I don't become the opposite of Chtholly ( The Saddest Man On Earth ) after the results of the contest

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

As a participant, I hope to see Chtholly.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Oh I still remember another round from ODT many years ago. I found ODT so useful solving at that round.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

this contest could be fire

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

WOW! a chtholly round again

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Will the score distribution shown to us?

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I hope I can solve div.1's A through C

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

chtholly is back !

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -10 Vote: I do not like it

You really want me to read sukasuka huh....

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +8 Vote: I do not like it

Why no cyan- testers

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

Wait is there a reason why d1C and d1D are both 1750? Is that supposed to mean they are supposed to be similar in difficulty

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

love your ngnl problem sir, hope this round is enjoyable!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +14 Vote: I do not like it

Welcome home,Chtholly!

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

Chtholly is finally back after 8 years, and somehow I already feel like my rating is about to leave this world before she does

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +11 Vote: I do not like it

Welcome home,Chtholly.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it +36 Vote: I do not like it

I'm ready to solve 0 problem and 12 episodes in 150 mins

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +66 Vote: I do not like it

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Why div2 is only up to 1900? Normally div2s are up to 2100.

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -18 Vote: I do not like it

“What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?”

So Codeforces will be notorious (doge)

»
4 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -11 Vote: I do not like it

In my friend list, there is a orz guy among them. Guess who lol

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +20 Vote: I do not like it

Chtholly is very cute,problems are interesting,but I am a fool.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it +11 Vote: I do not like it

I just had a generational run

Problem E was basically guessforces though i just assumed that

Spoiler

I wonder how it can be proved

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Salam! how you solved D?

    • »
      »
      »
      3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
      Rev. 2  
      Vote: I like it +2 Vote: I do not like it

      Turn the string into runs of 0s and 1s, so for example, 01101110100 becomes 1213112.

      Then we have that:

      • number of ones and zeroes stays constant (obvious)

      • endpoints stay the same (because endpoints of substring stay the same in inversion since S[l] == S[r])

      • the number of runs stays exactly the same in every operation:

      Suppose we inverted a substring [l,r] such that l lies in run ll and r lies in run rr. Then an inversion in the substring inverts the order of every completed run inside (ll,rr), which means the number of runs inside stays the same. Since S[l] == S[r], replacing the right side of run ll with the left side of run rr does not create any new runs. Thus the number of runs stays the same. So all reachable strings is at most all strings with the same number of 0s and 1s as the original string as well as the same number of runs and endpoints.

      We can reach any such string by only picking substrings to invert that are 2 runs apart. In such an inversion, there is only 1 run inside (ll, rr) so it remains the same, the only difference is that the size of the runs ll and rr change, in fact, we can freely redistribute the size of ll and rr. This means that we can redistribute any 0 or 1 from any run to any other run, which reaches all strings above. The minimum size of a run is 1, so this is equivalent to counting the number of ways to put n objects into k boxes such that each box has at least 1 object, which is well known to be (n-1 choose k-1)

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
    Rev. 3  
    Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it
    Sketch
»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it
Spoiler
»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it -12 Vote: I do not like it

The time limits are sooooo tight (totally not tle63 crashout)

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +34 Vote: I do not like it

So many cheaters.

There are 5 Master in Top 7.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

How to solve D2D?

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

    Its a stars and bars problem among the 0s and 1s in the substrings of 0s and 1s.

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

    you can see that you just need swap every adjacent digit to generate all string

    So the problem is just: "If you add a head 0 and a tail 0, and you consider for each 2 adjacent zero is a child, so how many candies you can give to all (cnt0 + 1) children, which each candy is 1"

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

Does anyone have a simple idea for solving Problem B div 2 ? It seems really hard to me

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

    The string is essentially fixed, it has to be a block of 2 0's or 2 1's alternating. EG: 00110011...

    Therefore, once you fix the first two numbers, the rest of the string is forced. So you only have 4 possible starts to try. 00, 01, 10, 11.

    Check if the start can create a valid construction, then +1 to your answer if it is.

    • »
      »
      »
      3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
       
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

      Thank you so much! This was actually my first intuition too, but when I saw so many people solving it very quickly, I thought there must be some clever parity observation rather than just trying all the possible cases. Really appreciate the explanation!

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it
    Hint
    Hint 2
    Solution
»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it

Since this number may be large, output it modulo I guess the presence/absence of this phrase is a subtle tell (it's in Div2D and not Div2B)? Probably it should be avoided if this isn't desired.

  • »
    »
    3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Yea its a red herring

    • »
      »
      »
      3 weeks ago, hide # ^ |
      Rev. 2  
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

      What I mean is that since D2B omits "Since this number may be large", an observant person could notice the different phrasing and it gives away the trick. I'm suggesting that as a convention, "Since this number may be large" should be avoided, since its absence can be a hint. Similar idea to how 998244353 is often used in non-FFT problems.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Question on problem D:

my approach
question
»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +19 Vote: I do not like it

div1D is a very good hard problem disguised as an easy problem

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -14 Vote: I do not like it

As a participant, div1 C is absorutely need to be swaped with div1 D, It hard for me to construct a strategy

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

omega ultra super duper orz KowoToma only one to AK div1 :0

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -10 Vote: I do not like it

I love Chtholly!!!

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

subject to change indeed lol

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 2  
Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

I got D2E's solution immediately, however I didn't realize the sample was wrong before the last 5 minutes ToT

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -9 Vote: I do not like it

Thanks everyone for participating in Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 1, Div. 2). Although it was initially difficult to understand from the editorial when I first participating in Codeforces contests. However I found that once I got used to it, the explanations felt very easy to understand, accurate, and highly academic.

We should read the hint and solution before reading code (Sorry for my bad English)

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +9 Vote: I do not like it

Gap between Div 1 D and Div 1 E is too long.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +8 Vote: I do not like it

I want to report khoand25112007

There is different style code between B and D

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

oh there will a problem solved by chtholly tree?

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

What a well-designed problem! It covers a broad range of concepts, is grounded in a realistic context, and leads to a fairly natural solution. Kudos to the problem setter! More importantly, the data are essentially accurate, which is a fundamental hallmark of a good problem.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

Absolutely brilliant div2E!!! Has similar COM based problem appeared in past?

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

It was a really interesting round specially Div 2 Gracefully thanks to prepare those problems to paulzrm and Error_Yuan

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

1B/2D and 1C/2E were great problems

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

这个时间对中国不友好

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Dear codeforces team , my solutions are skipped as according to the system check the b question coincides with Neev_266.i don't know who this guys is , it's a pretty standard problem I used define int long long , he used define ll long long.i have used variable like even odd , he has used a and b, I have used bool possible he has used bool ok , I write return 0 while he has not written it.it was a standard question where only 4 strings were possible at max , moreover indentations are same as I use prettier extension on vs code . I hope you guys look into this matter as this code was solely written by me . Please review this warning and remove it from my account

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I participated in the Div. 2 contest and my submission for 2256B is 386353383. I noticed that submission 386364747 is extremely similar to mine in both structure and implementation. I wrote my solution independently, without using or publishing any external source, and it was submitted earlier. Could the two submissions and their timestamps please be manually reviewed?

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I would like to provide a clarification regarding the similarity detected for my submission [386377988] for problem 2256C.

First, I want to clearly state that I did not copy, share, or obtain the solution from any of the users mentioned in the warning, nor did I communicate with them regarding the solution during the contest.

The actual source code of my submission is not the same as the submissions mentioned in the warning. The similarity appears to be in the underlying algorithmic logic. For this particular problem, the solution is relatively simple, and once the key observation is made, the most direct approach naturally leads to the same or very similar algorithmic idea. Therefore, it is possible for multiple participants to independently arrive at the same logic without seeing each other's code.

I independently understood the problem, derived the approach, and implemented the solution myself. I did not use any publicly accessible submission, shared code, Ideone link, GitHub repository, or any other source containing a contest solution. There was also no intentional or unintentional communication with the mentioned participants that could have resulted in solution leakage.

I understand that Codeforces considers both intentional and unintentional leakage seriously, and I respect those rules. However, in this case, I believe the detected coincidence is based on the fact that the problem has a straightforward and natural solution rather than on copied code or communication between participants.

I kindly request that my submission be reviewed by comparing the actual implementations and considering whether there is evidence of code sharing or leakage, rather than relying only on the similarity of the high-level algorithmic approach.

I am willing to provide any additional explanation or information necessary regarding how I arrived at and implemented the solution.

Thank you for taking the time to review my clarification.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
Rev. 4  
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Thank You

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I want to clarify regarding submission 386368793 for problem 2256B.

I solved this problem independently and have never shared my code with anyone, publicly or privately, before or during the contest.

I believe the similarity comes from the nature of the problem itself: once you realize the string must match one of two fixed alternating patterns for even-indexed and odd-indexed positions separately, the resulting logic is very constrained. You end up checking each character against i/2's parity to determine which of two fixed patterns it should match, tracking four boolean flags (pattern match for even positions x 2, pattern match for odd positions x 2), and multiplying the valid pattern counts. This is close to the only natural way to implement that idea, which likely explains why two independent solutions look structurally similar even with different variable names.

I'm glad to walk through my reasoning/thought process for this problem if that helps establish it was solved independently, or provide any other information needed.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

My submission 386389459 for 2256C was flagged as coinciding with submission 386387229. I want to clarify that I independently solved and implemented the problem and did not copy this submission or communicate with the author during the contest. I understand why the solutions look highly similar: the implementation naturally consists of copying the circular string, iterating through adjacent positions, changing 10 to 01, and then counting the 1s at even/odd positions. My variable names and formatting are different, but the core implementation ended up being very similar independently. I would appreciate a manual review of the submissions, what to do right now not understanding

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Thanks for the great contest! Problems A and B had very nice ideas. I managed to solve A during the round and upsolved B right after

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Hello Codeforces team,

I am writing regarding the warning about my submission 386389925 for problem 2256E, which was reported as having significant similarities with submission 386364395 by user mxiao37.

I would like to clarify that I did not view, copy, or intentionally reproduce mxiao37's submission. I also did not communicate with this user or obtain their code in any way during the contest. I wrote my submission independently.

After comparing the two solutions, I can understand why the similarity detector may have flagged them. Both solutions use the same mathematical idea: counting the number of # cells, calculating the sums of their row and column coordinates modulo n, and using a modular inverse to find the required position/translation. Because of this, some parts of the implementation are naturally very similar.

For example, my solution contains:

nsr = (nsr + r) % n;
nsc = (nsc + c) % n;

and I calculate the modular inverse of w modulo n. In the first part, I use:

dr = w * (rx - inv * nsr) mod n
dc = w * (cx - inv * nsc) mod n

while the other submission uses the algebraically equivalent form:

dr = rx * w - sr mod n
dc = cx * w - sc mod n

These are equivalent because inv * w ≡ 1 (mod n). So if two people derive the same mathematical solution, it is quite natural for the resulting formulas and implementation to look similar.

For the second part, both solutions also find the modular inverse using a simple brute-force loop and then multiply it by the row and column sums. This is a fairly direct way to implement the modular arithmetic required by the solution, so I think this may also contribute to the detected similarity.

However, I want to emphasize that this similarity was not caused by me accessing or copying the other participant's submission. I was not aware of their code when I submitted my solution, and I developed my solution independently.

I understand and respect Codeforces' anti-cheating rules, including the fact that code leakage or other forms of unintentional similarity can still be considered a violation. However, in this case, I believe the similarity was coincidental rather than the result of intentional plagiarism. I would therefore respectfully ask the contest administration to investigate the circumstances and the origin of the similarity before treating it as intentional copying.

If necessary, I am willing to explain my solution step by step, provide any evidence of my development process that I may have, or answer any questions about how I arrived at the implementation.

Thank you for taking the time to review my case.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it -8 Vote: I do not like it

I would like to provide a clarification regarding the similarity warning for my submission 386395367 for problem 2256E - Even If the World Turns, which was flagged as coinciding with submissions from LingLuo_Official, Lele_P4nggang51, iliya_mon, and snk_25

I want to clearly state that I wrote this solution independently. I did not copy, view, or obtain code from any of the mentioned users, nor did I communicate with them regarding the solution during or before the contest. I have also never published my code publicly before or during the round.

I believe the similarity comes from the fact that this problem has a very narrow solution space once the key observation is made:

  • The centroid of black cells (sum of row/column indices mod n) is invariant under rotation, reflection, and color inversion, since these operations only permute the black cells
  • The constraint gcd(n, w) = 1 is a strong hint that the intended solution requires computing the modular inverse of w with respect to n, in order to recover the centroid position from the sum of coordinates
  • Once these two observations are made, the resulting implementation (accumulate row/column sums mod n, compute modular inverse of w, then multiply) is close to the only natural way to implement it, and the special case where the shift is zero is also a fairly obvious edge case to check

Because of this, it is expected that multiple independent participants arrive at structurally similar code, even though variable names, macros, and specific implementation details (e.g. computing the modular inverse via extended GCD vs. brute-force loop) differ

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Subject: Detailed Appeal regarding Similarity Warning — Submission 386386380 — Problem D (2256D) Dear MikeMirzayanov and the Codeforces Coordination Team, I am writing to formally appeal the similarity warning I received for my submission 386386380 in Problem D (A Ribbon for Tomorrow) during Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 2). I understand that Codeforces maintains strict standards to ensure fair play, and I fully respect the anti-cheating policies. However, I firmly assert that this solution was written entirely by me, independently, during the contest duration. I have not shared my code with anyone, nor have I accessed any external solutions or communicated with other participants. To assist you in verifying my claim, I would like to explain my specific approach and logic for this problem: 1.Mathematical Derivation: My solution is based on the observation that the operation allows us to rearrange the blocks of consecutive identical characters. Specifically, I deduced that the number of reachable states depends on the number of runs (consecutive segments) of '0's and '1's. Let Z0 and Z1 be the total count of '0's and '1's. Let R0 and R1 be the number of runs of '0's and '1's. My formula calculates the answer as the product of two combinations: C (Z0 — 1, R0 — 1) * C (Z1 — 1, R1 — 1). This logic comes from the "Stars and Bars" method (or balls and bins), distributing the total count of characters into the specific number of runs required to maintain the alternating structure. 2.Code Implementation Details: If you look at my code, you will see a standard competitive programming template that I have used for a long time: I precompute factorials (fact []) and inverse factorials (inv_fact []) up to MAXN using Fermat's Little Theorem for modular inverse (power function with MOD-2). I have a helper function C (n, k) to calculate combinations modulo 998244353. In the main loop, I iterate through the string to count the total zeros/ones and the number of transitions (runs). The final output handles edge cases where R0 or R1 might be 0 (though logically impossible if counts are > 0, it's a safety check). The similarity detected might be due to the fact that this problem reduces to a standard combinatorial formula once the pattern is recognized. Many participants likely derived the same mathematical conclusion, leading to structurally similar code (precomputing factorials and calling a combination function). However, the variable naming (Z0, Z1, R0, R1), the specific structure of my precomputation loop, and the logic flow are unique to my coding style. I am confident that a manual review will show that my code was not copied from any specific source but derived from first principles during the contest. I kindly request you to review my submission and remove the similarity warning. I am happy to provide further explanation or solve a similar problem in a supervised setting if necessary to prove my skills. Thank you for your time and for maintaining the integrity of Codeforces. Sincerely, zhudaxia.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it +8 Vote: I do not like it

I want to clear up the warning about 386397026(F) and 386361260(D) being flagged for plagiarism. After this competition ended, I received warnings that my solutions for problems D and F were suspected of plagiarism. However, I’m very confident that I didn’t copy anything and didn’t receive any hints from anyone else. The system probably flagged my code as similar just because the correct solutions are very short, which increases the likelihood of similarities, and this time my ranking was also very high. This competition’s rating is very important to me, so I hope you can take care of this! If needed, I can provide my thought process during the contest to prove that I didn’t cheat: For problem D, we can notice that swapping doesn’t change the number of consecutive 0-1 segments, and any approach can reach the solution, so we just need to precompute factorials, and the answer is simply the product of two combinations. For problem F, I used a non-standard approach, basically doing a binary search on the answer and dynamically maintaining operations with a priority queue. The idea is that after no more than 30 operations, the sequence values become very small, and selecting x[j] in the i-th operation is equivalent to subtracting 2^i from it. Obviously, both my D and F solutions ended up being very concise, which eventually triggered the plagiarism warnings.

»
3 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Hello everyone,

My submissions for Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 1, Contest 2255) were skipped with the message: "Your submissions in contest 2255 — Codeforces Round 1116 (Div. 1) were skipped because of a rules violation."

I solved the problems independently during the contest, without sharing code or using external help. Since no specific reason or flagged problem was mentioned, has anyone else experienced an unexplained skip in this round?

If any of the coordinators or authors could clarify which submission triggered the system flag or which rule was allegedly broken, I would greatly appreciate it. I am ready to explain my logic and implementation details if needed.

Thank you.

»
2 weeks ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I am writing to state on record that my solution for Problem 2256B was written independently on my local machine using Sublime Text and pasted directly into the Codeforces submission form. I did not publish, share or leak my solution on any public platform or online compiler.

»
25 hours ago, hide # |
 
Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

15

  • »
    »
    24 hours ago, hide # ^ |
     
    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    ww