The 2022 Computer Olympiad
Abstract
The 25th Computer Olympiad was held online during July/August 2022. With 53 participating programs competing in 18 events, the event was a success.
1.Introduction
The 25th Computer Olympiad was our third experience with an online event. Following the success of the 2020 and 2021 online Olympiads, the 2022 event followed the same tried-and-tested format. This report summarizes our observations and the results from this event.
The 2022 Olympiad had an almost identical format to the previous event (Computer Olympiad, 2022). There were no significant changes to the rules used in the previous year (Computer Olympiad Rules, 2022). The event was timed for the end of July to overlap with the World Computer Chess Championships (held in person at the IJCAI conference in Vienna, Austria).
As done for the past two years, each Olympiad competition was self-organized. For each event, the participants were asked to agree on the following competition details:
Format, with a round-robin being the standard.
Number of games played between competitors (more is better).
Time controls (most games have an established standard).
Playoffs. For most events, the final round-robin standings served to decide on the medals. Short playoff matches were used to break ties.
2.Results
There were 53 programs competing in 18 events. An additional 10 competitions were not held given that there was only one entry.
Compared to our first online Olympiad in 2020 (Iida et al., 2021a), the number of competitions has dropped from 21 to 18, and the number of participating programs has shrunk from 65 to 53. This is a big concern, as discussed in the next section.
The ICGA congratulations all the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners, and thanks all the participants of the 25th Computer Olympiad. The Appendix includes the results from all 18 competitions.
3.Perspectives
As discussed in the report on last year’s Olympiad (Iida et al., 2021b), the move to online raises two critical issues that the ICGA needs to resolve: a) online, in-person, or a hybrid Olympiad; and b) increasing the number of entries.
It’s hard to argue with the convenience of holding the Olympiad online. It saves in (expensive) travel and hotel costs. For some, these costs have been an impediment to participation. Even in a post-pandemic world, it is hard to imagine going back to an in-person event, with all the additional costs and logistics of organizing the event and hosting perhaps 50 international people.
Despite the ease with which anyone in the world can participate in an online Olympiad, we still struggle at growing the size of the event. In the three online Olympiads, participation has gone from 65 (2020) to 60 (2021) to 53 (2022), and the number of contested events went from 21(2020) to 22 (2021) to 18 (2022). Further, in 2022 six games had only two competitors, putting the future of these competitions in doubt.
To repeat the question posed in last year’s report (Iida et al., 2021a), how do we increase the number of Olympiad entries?
Being online allows the event to easily handle more entries without incurring additional costs (which is not true for the in-person events). The Olympiad is advertised on the ICGA web site (low traffic), through several mailing lists (probably low impact), and from various mailouts (mostly to past participants). None of these methods seems to be reaching a new audience. Globally, game programming is a popular activity, but we have been unable to reach more game-AI programming aficionados.
Without new enthusiasts wanting to compete, it’s hard to see the long-term viability of this event. After 33 years of Computer Olympiads, the future is murky. Your suggestions for sustaining this important event are most welcome (contact jonathan@ualberta.ca).
Appendices
Appendix
Amazons
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Arimaa
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Ataxx
Deep Nikita: Andrew Lin
Xxatar: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Congratulations to the Xxatar team for winning the Gold Medal in Ataxx.
| Program | Deep Nikita | Xxatar |
| Deep Nikita | X | 1 |
| Xxatar | 3 | X |
Breakthrough
jhsu_Breakthrough: Tse-An Hsu and Shun-Shii Lin
YJ_Breakthrough: Yun-Jie Ho and Shun-Shii Lin
Congratulations to the
| Program | jhsu_Breakthrough | R2D2 | YJ_Breakthrough | Total |
| jhsu_Breakthrough | X | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R2D2 | 2 | X | 2 | 4 |
| YJ_Breakthrough | 2 | 0 | X | 2 |
Congratulations to the YJ_Breakthrough team for winning the Silver Medal in Breakthrough.
Bridge (HoneyMoon)
aiia_bridge: Jun-Bao Lin, Jun-Yen Lin, Jen-Bun Yeh, and Hsin-Hung Chou
GodJimmy: Chen-En Yang, Yen-Chi Chen, and Shun-Shii Lin
JadeHare: Chieh-Yu Chen and Shun-Shii Lin
Congratulations to the JadeHare team for winning the Gold Medal in HoneyMoon Bridge.
| Program | aiia_bridge | GodJimmy | JadeHare | Total |
| aiia_bridge | X | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GodJimmy | 1 | X | 0 | 1 |
| JadeHare | 1 | 1 | X | 2 |
Congratulations to the GodJimmy team for winning the Silver Medal in HoneyMoon Bridge.
Chess (Chinese)
alphacat: Liu Jin
garlic: Chang-Jiun Wu
Stratar: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Congratulations to the alphacat team for winning the Gold Medal in Chinese Chess.
| Program | alphacat | garlic | Stratar | Total |
| alphacat | X | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| garlic | 0 | X | 2 | 2 |
| Stratar | 0 | 0 | X | 0 |
Congratulations to the garlic team for winning the Silver Medal in Chinese Chess.
Chess (Chinese Dark)
alphacat: Liu Jin
CLAP_CDC: Chu-Hsuan Hsueh, Yuan-Hao Chen, Wen-Jie Tseng, and I-Chen Wu
DarkKnight: Chu-Hsuan Hsueh, Wen-Jie Tseng, and I-Chen Wu
Poyo: Ping Chun Chen and Hsuan Yu Yaung
Yahari: Jr-Chang Chen, You-Cheng Syu, Gang-Yu Fan, Ting-Yu Lin, Tsan-sheng Hsu, Hsuan-Yu Wang, and Jun-Ping Chen
Congratulations the CLAP_CDC team for winning the Gold Medal in Chinese Dark Chess.
| Program | alphacat | CLAP_CDC | DarkKnight | Poyo | Yahari | Total |
| alphacat | X | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| CLAP_CDC | 1 | X | 1.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 6 |
| DarkKnight | 1 | 0.5 | X | 0 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Poyo | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Yahari | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | X | 2.5 |
Congratulations the alphacat team for winning the Silver Medal in Chinese Dark Chess.
Congratulations to the Poyo team for winning the Bronze Medal in Chinese Dark Chess.
Clobber
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Connect6
Bernard-Lowe: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
CLAP_Connect6: Jui-Te Chin, Shao-Xiong Zheng, Yuan-Hao Chen, and I-Chen Wu
Peace: Yu-Chang Lin and Shun-Shii Lin
Congratulations to the CLAP_Connect6 team for winning the Gold in Connect6.
| Program | Bernard-Lowe | CLAP_Connect6 | Peace | Total |
| Bernard-Lowe | X | 0-2 | 2-0 | 2 |
| CLAP_Connect6 | 2-0 | X | 2-0 | 4 |
| Peace | 0-2 | 0-2 | X | 0 |
Congratulations to the Bernard-Lowe team for winning the Silver Medal in Connect6.
Draughts (Brazilian)
EVE: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Tdk88: Ton Tillemans
Congratulations to the Tdk88 team for winning the Gold Medal in Brazilian Draughts.
| Program | EVE | Tdk88 | Total |
| EVE | X | 1-0-1-0 | 2 |
| Tdk88 | 1-2-1-2 | X | 6 |
Draughts (Canadian)
T-900-Cameron: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Tdkcan: Ton Tillemans
Congratulations to the T-900-Cameron team for winning the Gold Medal in Canadian Draughts.
| Program | T-900-Cameron | Tdkcan | Total |
| T-900-Cameron | X | 2-2-2-2 | 8 |
| Tdkcan | 0-0-0-0 | X | 0 |
Draughts (International)
TDking: Ton Tillemans
Zoe-A: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Congratulations to the TDking team for winning the Gold Medal in International Draughts.
| Program | TDking | Zoe-A | Total |
| TDking | X | 2-2-0-1-1-1 | 7 |
| Zoe-A | 0-0-2-1-1-1 | X | 5 |
EinStein Würfelt Nicht
Monte_Alpha: Sin-Yi Chiu and Shun-Shii Lin
Reinstein: Zih-Yang Hsu
YJ_EinStein: Yun-Jie Ho and Shun-Shii Lin
TB1 is the first tiebreak match. TB2 is the second tiebreak match.
| Program | Monte_Alpha | Reinstein | YJ_EinStein | Total | TB1 | TB2 | Final |
| Monte_Alpha | X | 6 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Reinstein | 6 | X | 9 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| YJ_EinStein | 3 | 3 | X | 6 |
Congratulations to the Monte_Alpha team for winning the Gold Medal in EinStein Würfelt Nicht.
Congratulations to the Reinstein team for winning the Silver Medal in EinStein Würfelt Nicht.
Go 9 × 9
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Gomoku (Outer-Open)
CLAP_OOG: Wei-Chen Liao, Po-Wei Huang, Shao-Xiong Zheng, Yuan-Hao Chen, and I-Chen Wu
Marvin: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
TBMCTS_v2: Chih-Hung Chen; Hao-Han He; Han-Siang Li; Sin-Jie Li; Yen-Chi Chen; and Shun-Shii Lin
Congratulations to the CLAP_OOG team for winning the Gold Medal in Outer-Open Gomoku.
| Program | CLAP_OOG | Marvin | TBMCTS_v2 | Total |
| CLAP_OOG | X | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Marvin | 0 | X | 2 | 2 |
| TBMCTS_v2 | 0 | 0 | X | 0 |
Congratulations to the Marvin team for winning the Silver Medal in Outer-Open Gomoku.
Havannah 8 × 8
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Havannah 10 × 10
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Hex 11 × 11
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Hex 13 × 13
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Hex 19 × 19
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Lines of Action
Clank: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
MC-LOA: Mark Winands
Congratulations to the MC-LOA team for winning the Gold Medal in Lines of Action.
| Program | Clank | MC-LOA | Total |
| Clank | X | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| MC-LOA | 5.5 | X | 5.5 |
Mahjong
FatesGate: Zheng-Han Yeh
Seofon_v2: Zong-Han Lin, Jiun-Hong Chen, Yu-Chen Lin, and Shun-Shii Lin
SimCat: Shih-Chieh Tang, Fong-Sheng Liao, and I-Chen Wu
sparrow_v2: Hsin-Hsueh Chen
VeryLongCat: Shih-Chieh Tang, Li-Kai Chuang, and I-Chen Wu
Congratulations to the VeryLongCat team for winning the Gold Medal in Mahjong.
| Program | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Score |
| FatesGate | 34,500 | 6,000 | 64,500 | −22,500 | 82,500 | |
| Seofon_v2 | −60,500 | −10,000 | −65,000 | 0 | −135,000 | |
| SimCat | 66,000 | 8,500 | 32,500 | 30,500 | 137,500 | |
| sparrow_v2 | −40,000 | −69,500 | −103,000 | −50,500 | −263,000 | |
| VeryLongCat | −4,500 | 70,000 | 70,500 | 42,500 | 178,500 |
Congratulations to the SimCat team for winning the Silver Medal in Mahjong.
Congratulations to the FatesGate team for winning the Bronze Medal in Mahjong.
Nonogram
Defense: Jia-Jun Yeh, Kuo-Chan Huang, Wei-Chiao Huang, Yan-Rong Guo, De-Rong Sung, and Tzung-Shuan Tsai
Requim: Yen-Chi Chen and Shun-Shii Lin
The Heirs: Jia-Jun Yeh, Kuo-Chan Huang, Wei-Chiao Huang, Yan-Rong Guo, and Tzung- Shuan Tsai
Congratulations to the Requiem team for winning the Gold Medal in Nonogram.
| Program | Problems Solved | Time (seconds) |
| Defense | 1000 | 817.849 |
| Requiem | 1000 | 593.104 |
| The Heirs | 1000 | 757.607 |
Congratulations to the Heirs team for winning the Silver Medal in Nonogram.
Othello (8 × 8) (4)
Aiia_othello: Yi-Chung Chang, Ho-Chen Yen, and Hsin-Hung Chou
CLAP_Othello: Heng-Yi Chiu, Po-Yu Liu, Jui-Te Chin, Yuan-Hao Chen, and I-Chen Wu
Maverick: Yen-Chi Chen and Shun-Shii Lin
Réplicateur #8: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Congratulations to the Maverick team for winning the Gold Medal in 8 × 8 Othello.
| Program | Aiia_othello | CLAP_Othello | Maverick | Réplicateur #8 | Total |
| Aiia_othello | X | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CLAP_Othello | 4 | X | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Maverick | 4 | 4 | X | 3 | 11 |
| Réplicateur #8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | X | 9 |
Congratulations to the Réplicateur #8 team for winning the Silver Medal in 8 × 8 Othello.
Congratulations to the CLAP_Othello team for winning the Bronze Medal in 8 × 8 Othello.
Othello (10 × 10) (1)
This competition had only one entry and was not held.
Othello (16 × 16) – variant (3)
Connect16: Chuang-Yeh Chiu
HUgame: Jung-Kuie Yang
Tarogo: Shi-Jim Yen
Congratulations to the Tarogo team for winning the Gold Medal in 16 × 16 Othello (variant).
| Program | Connect16 | HUgame | Tarogo | Total |
| Connect16 | X | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HUgame | 2 | X | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Tarogo | 2 | 1.5 | X | 3.5 |
Congratulations to the HUgame team for winning the Silver Medal in 16 × 16 Othello (variant).
Santorini (2)
Deep Nikita: Andrew Lin
Théras: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
Congratulations to the Théras team for winning the Gold Medal in Santorini.
| Program | Deep Nikita | Théras |
| Deep Nikita | X | 1 |
| Théras | 3 | X |
Surakarta (3)
Athénan: Quentin Cohen-Solal and Tristan Cazenave
FuChou: Jia-Fong Yeh, Yen-Chi Chen, and Shun-Shii Lin
HSNU1536-SURAKARTA: En-Chieh Kuo, Tzu-Jui Liu, Zih-Lun Peng, Chih-Hung Chen, and Shun-Shii Lin
Congratulations to the Athénan team for winning the Gold Medal in Surakarta.
| Program | Athénan | FuChou | HSNU1536-SURAKART | Total |
| Athénan | X | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| FuChou | 0 | X | 2 | 2 |
| HSNU1536-SURAKART | 0 | 0 | X | 0 |
Congratulations to the FuChou team for winning the Silver Medal in Surakarta.
References
1 | Computer Olympiad 2022 (2022). https://icga.org/?page_id=3468. |
2 | Computer Olympiad Rules (2022). https://icga.org/?page_id=3146. |
3 | Iida, H., Schaeffer, J. & Wu, I-C. ((2021) a). The Computer Olympiad 2020. ICGA Journal, 43: (2), 118–131. |
4 | Iida, H., Schaeffer, J. & Wu, I-C. ((2021) b). The 2021 Computer Olympiad. ICGA Journal, 43: (4), 226–235. doi:10.3233/ICG-220203. |
