EWCIS is an Excel eSports tournament open to all users, regardless of their experience level. The competition consists of qualifying rounds, semifinals, and finals. In the qualifying round, the top eight participants were selected from three categories: Rookie (Student), Professional, and SOE (State-Owned Enterprises).

From each category, eight finalists (Top 2 from the Rookie category, Top 3 from the Professional category, and Top 3 from the SOE category) advanced to the final stage to compete for the championship title. The winner would then represent Indonesia in the global competition in Las Vegas, USA. The awards ceremony was held at Point Arena Jakarta on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

Indra Putra Lohanata, who is often called by his first name, successfully solved a series of complex case problems using Microsoft Excel.

“One of the challenges was solving a problem based on the 'Snake Eat Apple' game. Given the size of the playing field, the snake's initial position, and its movement for the next 50 steps, we had to determine at which step the snake would hit the wall," he explained.

Despite having limited experience with Microsoft Excel, Indra applied computational problem-solving skills he had learned in college. "Honestly, I haven’t worked with Excel that much, but I was able to solve the problems using computational thinking, similar to what I’ve learned from working with R, Python, and Matlab," he said.

Indra’s efficient and effective solutions helped him secure first place in the Rookie category. "I applied logical reasoning and problem-solving techniques from other computational software in Excel. This approach allowed me to work faster and more efficiently," he added.

Initially, Indra had no high expectations of winning the competition. He only had a basic understanding of Excel functions, but the support from his parents and peers encouraged him to give his best.

"At one point, I considered withdrawing because of my busy schedule with quizzes and coursework. But thanks to my parents, my siblings, and my determination to give my best, I decided to push through, and it paid off," he shared.

"It turns out that working on problems with any pressure helps you think more clearly," he joked. Following his victory, Indra is eager to compete in more Excel-related tournaments and further explore advanced Excel formulas.

He also emphasized that Excel proficiency is a highly valuable skill in the professional world. "I'm grateful that through this competition, I was able to achieve one of my 2024 resolutions, which is to win a competition," he said.

Translator: Nabila Puspita (Bioengineering, 2022)