The realm of coding challenges is vast and varied, catering to different levels of expertise and

areas of interest. Some of the greatest and hardest coding challenges are often found in
competitive programming, technical interviews at top tech companies, and prestigious
programming competitions. Here are some of the most notable ones:

Competitive Programming Challenges

1. Codeforces Problemsets: Codeforces is known for its challenging problems that range
from easy to extremely difficult. Problems like "Tourist Problem," "Burning Midnight Oil,"
and others are particularly challenging.
2. TopCoder: One of the original competitive programming platforms, TopCoder’s SRM
(Single Round Match) problems, especially the Division 1 problems, are notoriously
difficult.
3. Google Code Jam: This competition includes problems that require deep algorithmic
knowledge and problem-solving skills. Problems like "Cruise Control" and "Planet
Distance" are examples of high difficulty.
4. Facebook Hacker Cup: Known for its challenging problems, the Facebook Hacker Cup
pushes the limits of participants’ coding skills. Problems like "Boomerang Constellations"
and "Holiday Decorations" are particularly tough.
5. ACM ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest): Problems from the World
Finals of ACM ICPC are extremely challenging and require team collaboration, deep
algorithmic insight, and efficient coding.

Technical Interview Challenges

1. LeetCode Hard Problems: Problems like "Hard Mode Regular Expression Matching," "Data
Stream as Disjoint Intervals," and "Minimum Window Substring" are challenging and
frequently asked in technical interviews.
2. HackerRank Difficult Problems: HackerRank offers problems like "Sherlock and
Anagrams," "Red Knight’s Shortest Path," and others that test both algorithmic thinking
and coding skills.
3. GeeksforGeeks Hard Problems: This platform provides a variety of problems with high
difficulty levels, such as "Maximum Profit by buying and selling a share at most twice" and
"Egg Dropping Puzzle."

Prestigious Programming Competitions

1. Kaggle Competitions: Though primarily focused on data science, some Kaggle

competitions are extremely challenging, like the "Facebook V: Predicting Check Ins" and
 "Deepfake Detection Challenge."
2. Hash Code by Google: A team-based competition where problems like "Streaming
Videos" and "Self-Driving Car" push the boundaries of problem-solving and optimization.
3. Kick Start by Google: Problems from this competition, such as "Parcel Delivery" and
"Wandering Robot," are designed to be challenging for participants of all skill levels.

Notable One-off Challenges

1. Project Euler: Problems on Project Euler require a combination of mathematical insight

and programming skill. Problems like "Largest Prime Factor," "Smallest Multiple," and
others are particularly difficult.
2. Advent of Code: The problems released during Advent of Code can range from
straightforward to extremely challenging, especially as the event progresses through
December.

Hard Problems in Open-Source Projects

1. Bug Fixes and Features in Large Open-Source Projects: Contributing to projects like the
Linux Kernel, TensorFlow, or Apache Hadoop often involves solving complex problems
that require deep understanding and advanced coding skills.

Summary

The difficulty of these coding challenges is subjective and depends on one’s experience and
expertise in algorithms, data structures, and problem-solving skills. To tackle these
challenges, it’s often necessary to have a solid foundation in computer science concepts and
extensive practice in competitive programming.