What is your most memorable Marathon Match and why?
It must be TCO19 Round 2, as I was working on it while lying on the Bali beach. It also gave me the most points to finally qualify to the Finals.

What’s your favorite Topcoder Marathon Match problem and why?
I actually like all the problems I’ve tried (otherwise I just don’t compete). Just from the theme perspective, the problem on some NASA marathon about making optimal packages for astronauts was really fun (and I guess somewhat related to reality).

Who do you think is the most fierce or talented coder at Topcoder and why?
tourist - I guess it’s pretty obvious when you look at his record.

What do you do when not working?
Playing board and video games, and coding for fun.

Where do you work? Tell us about your space(s).
In general, I work for Google at the office. As for Topcoder, I’m just working from my home desktop.

If you could give your past self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Check the computed probabilities via sampling (I know, that’s very specific).

What kind of music do you listen to while working on your solutions?
Anything without vocals.

What’s the best tip or piece of advice you can share with other members at Topcoder?
Never give up!

How does it feel to be a first time TCO Finalist?
I’m really excited. I’ve tried to make it more or less regularly since 2010.

What are you most looking forward to at your first-ever TCO Finals?
Meeting people who I only knew as Topcoder handles before.

Did you strive to make it TCO this year and if so, why does it matter to you?
I’ve tried pretty hard, I guess it’s one of the small goals I’ve had in my life.