Competitive Programming in Python

‘This book guides the reader through a collection of interesting problems, teaching us many ideas that underlie efficient algorithms. The simplicity of Python helps highlight the beauty and accessibility of the ideas. I found it a most enjoyable and engaging book.’ Anupam Gupta, Carnegie Mellon University

Christoph Dürr is a senior researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), affiliated with the Sorbonne University in Paris. After a PhD in 1996 at Paris-Sud University, he worked as a postdoc at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley and in the School of Computer Science and Engineering in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He has worked in the fields of quantum computation, discrete tomography, algorithmic game theory, and his current research activity focuses on algorithms and optimisation. From 2007 to 2014, he taught a preparation course for programming contests at the engineering school École Polytechnique, and acts regularly as a problem setter, trainer, or competitor for various coding competitions. In addition, he loves carrot cake.

Jill-Jênn Vie is a research scientist at Inria in machine learning. He is an alumni from ENS Paris-Saclay, where he founded the algorithmic club of Paris-Saclay (CAPS) and coached several teams for the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). He published another book in theoretical computer science to help students prepare for prestigious French competitive exams such as Grandes Écoles or agrégation, and directed a TV show “Blame the Algorithm” about the algorithms that govern our lives. He is part of the advisory board of the French Computer Science Society (SIF).