The 2019 Topcoder Open Marathon Competition (“Marathon Competition”) will take place between November 1, 2018 and the onsite finals in the USA.

The Marathon Competition will consist of:

• three (3) online stages, Update(July 17, 2019) - two (2) online stages

• three (3) online TCO rounds,

• TCO Regional lightning rounds TBD,

• One (1) onsite final round.

The top two (2) competitors with the most TCO points from each online stage (two stages) and the six (6) Update(July 17, 2019) eight (8) advancers from the online rounds, based on accumulated points, will win a trip to the Tournament to compete in the Onsite Finals of the Marathon Competition.

The Marathon Competition is part of the Tournament, and by participating in the Marathon Competition, you agree to these rules.

Registration

There will be no explicit registration required to compete in the Marathon Competition; however, competitors must be a Topcoder member.

Competition Round Structure

Each Online and Onsite Round of the Marathon Competition consists of two phases: the Coding Phase and the System Testing Phase. (Note: The format for rounds of the Marathon Competition is similar to the format of Topcoder Marathon Matches. The rules in place for Marathon Matches as of October 15, 2018, as may be amended by these Rules, will apply to the Online and Onsite rounds of the Marathon Competition.)

The Coding Phase is a timed event where all Competitors are presented with the same problem statement. The criteria for scoring a Competitor’s submission will be provided with the problem statement and may change from round to round. During each round of the Marathon Competition, each Competitor may submit one of two types of submissions: an Example Submission or a Full Submission. Each Example Submission is run against the example test cases listed in the problem statement and detailed feedback is provided to the Competitor. Each Full Submission is run against a more complete set of test cases which are not disclosed to the Competitor and the Competitor only receives a provisional score. The duration of the Coding Phase for each of the Online Rounds is 1 week.

The System Testing Phase is applied to the most recent Full Submission for each Competitor. During system testing, each Full Submission is run against a large number of sample cases which are not disclosed to the Competitors and is scored according to the criteria specified in the problem statement. Once the system tests are completed, Competitors are ranked according to their score on the system test cases. The score a Competitor’s Full Submission receives is determined solely by the system testing.

Online Stages Schedule

During each Stage, Contestants who participate in the three (3) Tournament-eligible Marathon Matches on the Topcoder website will receive TCO points for that Stage as outlined in these Rules.

Only Tournament-eligible Marathon Matches which took place during the dates of an Online Stage shall be included in determining TCO points for that Stage.

All Tournament-eligible Marathon Matches will be clearly marked on the active challenge listing page.

Marathon Match Online Competition Stages Dates

Each Stage of the Marathon Competition will consist of three separate Matches. You can find the Active Marathon Matches here.

Advancing during the Online Stages

After each Online Round during the stage, up to 30 of the next-highest scoring competitors [among those eligible, who have not already otherwise advanced] will be awarded points based on the following table. To get points for the round, a Competitor must submit a Full Submission and achieve a score greater than zero. If several competitors are tied for a place, they share points for the tied places (i.e. if two competitors are tied for 6th place they’ll each get (40+36)/2 = 38 points).

Online Rounds Schedule

Contestants who participate in the Three (3) online TCO rounds and TCO Regional lightning rounds on the Topcoder website will receive TCO points as outlined in these Rules.

Three (3) online TCO rounds and TCO Regional lightning rounds shall be included in determining TCO points for online rounds. All Tournament-eligible Marathon Matches will be clearly marked on the active challenge listing page.

Advancing during Online Rounds

The TCO Marathon Competition will consist of 3 (three) Online TCO Rounds and TCO Regional Lightning Rounds. Up to six (6) Update(July 17, 2019) eight (8) of the highest scoring competitors overall will win a trip to the Tournament to compete in the onsite Championship Round.

After each Online Round, up to 30 of the next-highest scoring competitors [among those eligible, who have not already otherwise advanced] will be awarded points based on the following table. To get points for the round, a Competitor must submit a Full Submission and achieve a score greater than zero. If several competitors are tied for a place, they share points for the tied places (i.e. if two competitors are tied for 6th place they’ll each get (40+36)/2 = 38 points).

In the event that a Competitor who has advanced to the onsite Championship Round is unable to attend it, Topcoder may choose to replace this Competitor with another Competitor or to take no action in this regard (thus reducing the total number of onsite Competitors). The choice is made at Topcoder’s sole discretion. In case of replacement choice, the right to attend is passed to the next Competitor who have accumulated the most points during the Online Rounds in each stage.

TCO Lightning Marathon Matches

The TCO Marathon Competition will consist of Lightning Rounds at certain regional events. The schedule and list of these matches are to be determined.

After each Lightning Online Round, up to 10 of the highest scoring competitors [among those eligible] will be awarded points based on the following table.

Six (6) Competitors who will accumulate the most points during all Online Rounds including Lighting Rounds will advance to the onsite Championship Round.

In the event that a Competitor who has advanced to the onsite Championship Round is unable to attend it, Topcoder may choose to replace this Competitor with another Competitor or to take no action in this regard (thus reducing the total number of onsite Competitors). The choice is made at Topcoder’s sole discretion. In case of replacement choice, the right to attend is passed to the next Competitor who have accumulated the most points during the Online Rounds.

Championship Round

The Championship Round will consist of a single round of competition lasting 10 hours. The winner of the Championship Round will be the Onsite Marathon Competitor with the highest point total during the Championship Round. In the event that Onsite Marathon Competitors are tied at the conclusion of the Championship Round, then the prize money will be distributed equally among the tied Onsite Marathon Competitors.

Marathon Championship Round

Please note the online competition round includes 30 minute setup time.

About the Prizes

The Marathon Competition will award cash prizes to the Onsite Marathon Competitors in accordance with the following table:

* Prize will be awarded at the conclusion of the Onsite Championship Round. Winner must be present at the onsite Championship announcement to receive prize.

** To get the prize, Competitor must have positive points after Online Rounds. In the event of a tie in for the 10th place in online stages and 50th place in TCO Online Rounds, all competitors with that score will earn a t-shirt.

These rules may change with or without prior notice.