Hello!

Lately, it feels like we are all talking about the exact same problem: the massive increase in cheaters. During a contest, it is incredibly easy to glance at the standings, see hundreds of people solving a complex problem in three minutes, and immediately start doubting your own abilities. The rating inflation and the constant comparison can turn a fun, challenging platform into a massive source of anxiety. You start coding for the number next to your name instead of the actual joy of learning.

I wanted to fix this for myself, so I built ZenForces. ZenForces is an extension that transforms Codeforces into a peaceful, distraction-free environment. It hides the rating so you can focus entirely on your own deliberate practice and self-improvement by:

Neutral Usernames: Strips all rank colors and bolding from usernames globally.

Hidden Standings: Completely removes the standings tabs, rating change tables, and the number of participants who solved a specific problem during contests.

Rating Graph removed: Actively blocks and completely hides the profile rating graph so you aren't staring at your past peaks and drops.

Gym Zen Toggle: A button injected directly into the Codeforces top menu bar. It allows you to toggle standings ON or OFF specifically during practice Gyms, because reviewing other people's submissions and standings is a good part of CPC practice

I have fully open-sourced it on GitHub, so you can install it manually in less than a minute just follow the "READ ME" File: https://github.com/Emadlde/Zenforces/tree/main

If you are feeling burnt out by the leaderboards or the recent wave of cheating, give it a try. Let me know what you think in the comments, and feel free to contribute to the repository if you have ideas for more "Zen" features.

thanks for my tung tung friend Tardi for testing the extension

Happy (and peaceful) coding!

A year ago I have started competitive programming with Python mostly because it was the language I knew best. My university major is AI, so Python was already my go-to. At first I struggled a lot with with TLEs and missing handy C++ STL features, and moments of doubt where I wondered if I should switch to C++ but I have decided to stick with python to see how hard is it to use python for CP. After a year I don’t regret sticking with Python. It’s been hard but rewarding and a great learning experience.

If your goal is only competitive programming and you are not ready to get TLE while the same C++ code get accepted then do C++ but if you want to learn more about python and get used to it , Python is absolutely doable and fun.

I will keep using Python for now. It has taught me a lot about writing efficient and optimized code. If I ever switch to C++ I’ll write a follow-up blog about it :)