Kotlin
A concise multiplatform language developed by JetBrains
ICPC World Finals Livestream: ecnerwala and SecondThread Speed-Solving Kotlin Challenge
Join us live from the ICPC World Finals in Baku, Azerbaijan, for a special event. This year, we are hosting a head-to-head match where two of the world’s top competitive programmers, Andrew ‘ecnerwala’ He and David ‘SecondThread’ Harmeyer, will speed-solve Kotlin problems in real time.
Save the date: September 2, 2025, at 9:30 am UTC
About the competitors
Andrew ‘ecnerwala’ He
One of the most accomplished competitive programmers in the world, Andrew is a Codeforces Legendary Grandmaster, two-time IOI gold medalist, ICPC World Finals medalist, double Google Code Jam medalist, and Facebook Hacker Cup champion.
David ‘SecondThread’ Harmeyer
David leads Meta’s Hacker Cup and is a long‑time judge and problem setter, as well as a Codeforces International Grandmaster, two‑time ICPC World Finals competitor, and competitive‑programming YouTuber and ICPC Live interviewer.
About the event
The match will be hosted by Sebastian Aigner, Developer Advocate at JetBrains. He will open the stream with an introduction to the modern development ecosystem and Kotlin’s place in it, before handing the stage over to the competitors.
In the match, you’ll see how top programmers approach challenges under time pressure, showing off their speed and precision, as well as Kotlin’s strengths as a language for problem-solving. Even if you’ve never followed a coding competition before, watching Andrew and David is a great way to experience the excitement of problem-solving at the highest level.
The problem set and Kotlin Heroes
The problem set will come from the Kotlin Heroes: Episode 13 practice round, which will be released at the time of the livestream. The official Kotlin Heroes contest will follow on September 12. And if you feel inspired by the match between ecnerwala and SecondThread, you should sign up to take part!
A programming competition is more than just a contest – it’s a showcase of creativity, mathematical thinking, and coding mastery. Kotlin Heroes in particular is a great opportunity for everyone to try problem-solving, explore the elegance of Kotlin’s concise syntax, and win prizes!
To prepare for the event and brush up on Kotlin and competitive programming, check out our competitive programming tutorial and YouTube playlist.
Don’t miss this rare occasion! Mark September 2, 9:30 am UTC on your calendar and join us live to see Kotlin in action at the ICPC World Finals.
See you soon!
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