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PyCon 2012 SingPath Tournament

Chris Boesch (right) handing Dmitrii (left) his 1st prize MacBook Air at PyCon 2011




We are very proud to once again have Chris Boesch running a SingPath python coding tournament at PyCon. This is a rapid fire python problem solving competition. You don't need to be a python expert to solve the problems, just a sharp mind and a love of coding. The event will be held Saturday, March 10th in the main ballroom at 7:00 PM.

The tournament will have 2 rounds consisting of approximately 10 problems per round. The first round typically consist of easier problems in order to encourage less experienced software developers to play and to enable new SingPath players to become more comfortable with the interface. As players solve problems, a live ranking screen is displayed for spectators to watch and for commentators to provide commentary. Usually, the top 20-30 players from the first round are declared eligible to compete for prizes in the second round. During the second round, problems become more challenging and play continues until enough players have finished the round to award all available prizes. Once again this year the 1st place prize will be a new MacBook Air.

About SingPath

Singpath.com is a free, online game that lets players practice software languages. In SingPath, players solve software problems to earn badges and move-up local and worldwide rankings. SingPath is currently used in Singapore to help teach Python in schools such as Singapore Management University, Republic Polytechnic, and International Community School. These schools, as well as others, use SingPath in a variety of ways. Some assign SingPath Challenges for homework, others have class members tag themselves to create class-specific rankings, and others hold SingPath tournaments during class in place of weekly quizzes.

SingPath also provides a fun way for professionals to practice software languages and to demonstrate their proficiency to others. Players practice on their own time in their own environment and then gather together to compete head-to-head. Over the past year, SingPath tournaments have been held at events such as PyCon Asia, DjangoCon as well as other software-related meet-ups and university events. Players simply show-up at a networked venue with their personal notebook ready to compete. Players then log on to SingPath just as they would from home and click the Tournaments button on their home page. They are then provided with a password that enables them to register for the tournament in which they will compete.




Comments

Dirk Swart said…
Dear Signpath,

Great site. Or at least it looks great from the outside - please add some more login options. I can only log in via Google and FB.

I tried to send you feedback, and could log in through twitter (yay!) to do so. But then your feedback form demanded the right to *post tweets* on my twitter. That is nuts! So I could not post feedback.

Please can you fix this?
Chris said…
Hi Dirk,

Feel free to send us an email at pivotalexpert@gmail.com. We will try to respond as quickly as possible. All feedback is appreciated.

Chris