HSE Tops University Ranking at X5 Tech Sprint Programming Championship
The X5 Tech Sprint is a championship in algorithmic programming. A total of 808 school pupils and university students from over 200 educational institutions across Moscow took part. HSE ranked first among universities in the overall participant leaderboard, and a student from the Faculty of Computer Science (FCS) achieved the best individual result.
From April 7 to 19, Moscow hosted the X5 Tech Sprint, the first ever speed programming championship for school pupils and students. The venue was quite unconventional: five Perekrestok supermarkets.
The 808 participants—pupils and students from more than 200 Moscow educational institutions, including 124 HSE students—competed to solve problems in the shortest time possible using C++ and Python. In total, they spent over 3,500 minutes coding.
‘In a battle format, the task is to solve one simple problem within a very limited time (about five minutes),’ explained Mikhail Gustokashin, Director of HSE’s Centre for Student Competitions. ‘It is the most spectacular format of algorithmic programming competitions, and it is accessible to all students who have programming experience; there is no need for complex algorithms and data structures as in longer contests.’
A total of 96 participants scored the maximum points, and the best result—solving a problem in just 53 seconds—was achieved by Dmitry Rovnyago, a second-year undergraduate student in Applied Mathematics and Information Science.
Five winners, including three FCS students, each received a prize of 50,000 roubles. The top 25 participants will undergo a fast-track selection process for an internship at X5 Tech. Among these top 25 were 16 FCS students.
HSE claimed first place among universities in the overall participant rankings and received a special prize from X5 Group—the renovation of one of its classrooms.
Mikhail Gustokashin
‘Our students solve a lot of problems during their studies, including in tests with strict time limits, so they are well prepared for battles. This competition format is gaining popularity, and I hope more victories lie ahead. Congratulations to our students on their excellent results—we wish them continued success!’
Text by Alexandra Sytnik