Hackreation

Gomoku Bot Hack-reation - A one-day hackathon where you'll build AI bots to battle in Gomoku (Five in a Row) or create stunning visual reskins of the game. Build the smartest bot. Reskin the game. Win glory.

📍 Location: Penrod
📅 Date: March 28th @ 8:00am
🥐 Food: Breakfast & Lunch (looking for sponsors!)
🎮 The Game: Gomoku (Five in a Row)

Played on a 19x19 board, your goal is simple: get 5 stones in a row before your opponent. Each game starts with 3 random stones in the center, and you have 60 seconds per move. Your bot connects via WebSocket and battles other bots in real-time.

🗳️ Challenge & Voting

• Teams: Formed on arrival, no pre-made teams required. You'll join others based on skills and project interest.
• Main Certificates: Two paths to victory!
• 🏆 The Smartest Bot - Highest ELO after the round-robin tournament. Every bot plays every other bot at least 9 times. Wins against stronger bots count more.
• 🎨 Best Reskin - Most creative reimagining of the game UI. Judged by group vote on visual creativity, playability, and wow factor.

Other Recognition:

• People's Choice
• Best in Innovation
• Best in Teamwork

👉 Bonus twist: All bots compete in a live tournament at the end of the day! Watch your creation battle it out on the big screen as ELO ratings update in real-time.

🛠 Hackathon Schedule

8:00 am - Doors Open Check in, grab coffee, and settle in.

~9:00 am - 9:30 am - Kickoff & Setup Rules, agenda, environment setup, and Q&A. Get the repo cloned and server running.

9:30 am - 12:00 pm - Hacking Time Build your bot strategy or start your reskin. Floating mentors available for support.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - Lunch Break Recharge and brainstorm with your team.

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Hacking Time (Continued) Final push: polish, test, and submit your bot.

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Team Presentations Show off your creation to judges and the community.

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm - Tournament & Awards

• Live bot battle royale on the big screen!
• 🏆 The Smartest Bot goes to the highest ELO after all matches.
• 🎨 Best Reskin awarded by group vote.
• 📜 Other projects receive certificates & recognition.

💻 Tech Stack

• Language: Python
• Framework: FastAPI with WebSocket
• Starter Code: Fork easy_bot/bot.py and implement your choose_move() logic
• Repo: Provided on event day

💡 Why Join?

• Build an AI bot that competes in real-time battles.
• Explore strategies: minimax, MCTS, neural networks, or your own invention.
• Reimagine a classic game with creative UI design.
• Collaborate with developers, designers, and innovators.
• Compete for recognition and bragging rights.
• Watch your bot fight live in the tournament finale.

👉 Registration Sign up now and come build something that can outsmart the competition!

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