How 3 Buet programmers coded their way to ICPC success
The BUET Potatoes, a team from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology was recently crowned champions of West Asia region at the esteemed International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC)
Even a week before the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) was set to begin, the three young programmers - Sabbir, Ershad and Sabit - were not even sure they would be able to participate. The host country Egypt's authorities were delaying granting them visas.
"We were not sure whether we could join the competition. We could only go after the ICPC managed honourable visas for us," said Sabbir.
"And our luggage was lost in the airways. We had to go through quite a lot of trouble for two weeks to get them back. Also, because the domestic flight was late, we missed the return flight. So there was a lot of hassle there."
Despite all this, the trio - going by the name 'BUET Potatoes' - were crowned champions of the West Asia region of the tournament.
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Sabbir Rahman Abir (CSE-17), Kazi Md. Irshad (CSE-17), and SK Sabit Bin Mosaddeq (CSE-18), two former and one current student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), also secured the 28th position globally.
Known as the 'World Cup of Programming', the ICPC is an annual event for competitive programming where contestants solve algorithmic problems within a time limit, using a programming language of their choice. It tests problem-solving skills, knowledge of algorithms, and the ability to write efficient code.
The 46th and 47th World Finals of the ICPC convened at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport in Luxor, Egypt, between 14 April to 19 April. Due to the gap during Covid-19, this year two ICPC championships were hosted simultaneously.
The motivation came from within. We took part in competitive programming out of our passion, and knowing that our success would mean a lot to our institution and our country motivated us till the end.
ICPC entails a five-hour competition where university students solve diverse programming challenges on internet-connected computers. The programmers are given a scenario, the input, and the output. They have to find out how the result was arrived at. A total of eleven questions are posed.
BUET Potatoes were able to solve six questions. They started the seventh question, but failed to finish for want of time. They were at the 26th place by solve-count, but they came at the 28th place after penalty time was deducted.
"What set us apart was our ability to analyse the problem and code fast," said Sabbir.
How the journey began
To be a competitive programmer, one has to start early and work hard for years.
Sabbir Rahman Abir said, "I used to be a maths enthusiast from my early days. I took part in the Math Olympiad in high school. From there, my interest in problem-solving and analytics arose."
"The admission into the BUET CSE department marked the beginning of my journey," said Kazi Md. Irshad.
It was after coming to BUET that their talents were recognised at the competitive programs BUET organises on their campus at the start of the first semester. This acts as a talent hunt where students like Sabbir and Kazi Md. Irshad are scouted and recruited, and then trained.
SK Sabit Bin Mosaddeq is still a student at the university, and he has been part of the team with the two seniors for five years now.
"I also started competitive programming after coming to BUET. In my freshman year, I sought advice from Sabbir Bhai and other seniors, and with their guidance, I learned the ways of the game," said Sabit.
BUET has always been supportive of the participants in programming contests. There is a dedicated lab called the ACM Lab on the first floor of the building, which is mostly used for practising for programming competitions. This laboratory has eight high-performance workstations with complete multimedia support, and it also has sleeping bags for students who are practising overnight before any tournament.
Aside from the infrastructural support, the programmers also get other benefits for participating in such contests. Many universities organise inter-university programming contests (IUPCs) where programmers have to travel the whole country to attend them.
Participation in the ICPC was pioneered by Dr. M. Kaykobad, a professor of the Department of CSE at BUET. He had been bringing teams to the World Finals for more than 15 years, until his retirement, when Dr. M. Sohel Rahman took the lead.
Dr Sohel Rahman has been working with this team for a long time, grooming them for the tournament. "We have an ACM Committee in BUET that oversees all support and grooming of the competitive programmers," he said.
The alumni also help train the young competitors. Team Hellbent, another BUET team, was crowned champion in Asia West in 2021. One of the team members, Pritom Kundu, has been mentoring the juniors for a long time.
"ICPC is not just about programming," added Dr. Sohel. "You need three skills to crack a competition like this. First, you need to have very good problem-solving skills. Then, obviously, you need programming skills. And finally, you need a strong character."
"This team has been together for about five years. They have been through a lot, yet they have pursued their passion. They managed their rigorous academic programs at BUET and kept on trying, pushing themselves further. You need a strong character for this level of perseverance."
"This team complements one another; each specialises in fields the other lacks, making them a great combination. I am in awe of their dedication and its result."
What was on their minds?
"Competitive programming has been my passion for a long time," Sabbir said with a chuckle, "So I was not bothered about anything other than giving my best. All I knew was that I had to push myself and bring out the best performance."
"In my mind, I was determined to contribute to the team as much as possible, as I knew we were representing our country and our institution."
"We knew that BUET has had a good record in ICPCs," Kazi Irshad said, "And we are very proud of it. We were all eager to come home with our heads high. We believed that if Team Bangladesh did well, it would make our friends, family and teachers proud."
"The motivation came from within. We took part in competitive programming out of our passion, and knowing that our success would mean a lot to our institution and our country motivated us till the end," said SK Sabit.
The experience in Egypt
Luxor, Egypt, an ancient city rich in history and culture, hosted the competition. For our young programmers, it was a dream come true.
Sabbir Rahman was elated to see famous programmers and coaches at the event.
"We met some of the programmers whom we had been following on the internet for years," he said, "after years of seeing them on the screen only, I was so happy to be able to finally meet them."
For Kazi Irshad, the best part of the journey was the local people and their culture.
"I roamed around the markets in my free time, and I was fascinated by the Egyptians. The memories remain etched in my mind."
"For me," said Sk Sabit, "the best part was the bond we made over the years as a team. There were many sleepless nights at the ACM lab and there were many trips to other universities for competitions. All the experiences with so many cool people have taught me a lot. And it has been the best time of my life."
