Sun* CTF HCM 2019: Awesome teamwork, ultimate victory!

This is the first time CTF is hosted in HCMC, and the atmosphere has been filled with excitement days before the competition. Members were chatting here and there about the competition, and asking others to team up for the contest.  

With about 2-3 members for each team, HCMC office has 8 teams in CTF. They are Idiot, Team HP, Hà Anh Tuấn, Cute Boys, Đen Vâu, Capture The Flag, DungHoi and The Box.

As announced, Sun* CTF HMC 2019 will last for 7.5 hours with 3 rounds: Capture The Flag (CTF), Game Logic and Code Contest.

In the morning of the event, all members arrived on time, the opening ceremony was carried out quickly for the exact start at 8.35 AM.

The intensity of CTF lies in the fact that the team scores after each challenge can change dramatically based on number of teams that can solve the issue. It means that the more teams can solve an issue, the smaller the point they will receive. 

Phạm Nguyên Khoa - Unit 3 said: "This is a real brain hack, and it requires contestants to try hard and focus'.

In the morning, teams focus on Code Contest and Game Logic, despite being considered the most challenging parts of this year's competition. 

After the first hour of competition, the first points and and chart toppers had shown up. Team DungHoi took the lead with 2568 points.

2-member team Capture The Fly was no easy contestants, with a total of 1621 points.

Top 3 and 4 were respectively Idiot with 1508 points and The Box with 1478 points.

However, things are not as simple as we expected. CTF seems to have lots of surprise in stock, as when lunchtime is over, the leaderboard had a drastic change. 

The energy refill seemed to have turn the table for Idiot team. From Third place, Idiot had consecutive wins by capturing flags and rose to the top with 6446 points.

The 2 members of Capture The Fly still held onto their focus and the second place with 4601 points. DungHoi fell down 2 ranks to third place with 4486 points.

After the challenges of Game Logic and Contest Code, in the afternoon, the teams shifted all of their focus in the hardcore CTF. 

As the final moments were coming, concentration and tense were evident on the faces of the contestants. Time and ranking pressure filled the teams with determination. 

Phạm Yến Vy - Unit 2 - Team Idiot said: 'CTF is where teamwork can really show. The teammates must work well together, if someone is having troubles, the others will help them to get the best solutions'.

With that spirit, Idiot became the winner of Sun* CTF 2019 in HCMC with 8711 points. Capture the Fly placed second with 7431 points and DungHoi placed third with 6776 points.

The representative of The Box - the near third team said: "We figured out the last answer, but we didn't have enough time to complete it. It's a great shame. Still, CTF is a chance for teammates to understand each other better during work. If possible, I hope that there will be more options in terms of challenges and questions".

Phạm Nguyên Khoa - an Idiot member, also the MVP with 4618 points, said that CTF this year was quite interesting, as there are a variety like games for QA, contest and logic for developers. This encourages members from many departments to sign up.

On being the MVP of CTF, Khoa believed that, besides concentration and good teamwork, we also need to 'think out side the box'.

Sun* CTF 2019 HCMC came to a pleasant end for the members. We hope that coming back from CTF, each Sunner will learn their own lessons or values.

See you again with many other brain brawls!