Competition page2027 / KSE / KYIV
KSE Quant Club · Flagship competition
Probability& GamesCompetition
Two separate competitions for undergraduate and Master’s students: team and individual. Enter either one or both. An online qualifier precedes the offline finals at KSE on 9–10 January 2027, alongside student research, invited speakers and public mathematics.
$5,000 · Competition prize fund ↗Main sponsorEmergent VenturesUSD 15,000
JANUARY2027
09—10KSE OBOLON CAMPUS · KYIV
PROBABILITY & GAMES ↗01 / Overview
Think clearly under uncertainty.
The competition brings together probability, games, combinatorics, estimation and strategy. Problems reward precise thinking, useful approximations and the ability to explain an idea—not memorised formulas.
Problem areas
Probability
Conditional probability, expected value and random processes.
Games
Strategic choices, information and optimal decisions.
Combinatorics
Counting, structure and discrete reasoning.
Approximation
Fermi estimates, bounds and defensible assumptions.
02 / Program & format
From online qualification to a weekend at KSE.
The team and individual competitions are separate events: students may enter just one or both. Online qualification precedes the offline finals at KSE. Dates, detailed rules and the timetable for each competition will be announced separately. The program also includes invited speakers from quantitative finance and related fields.
Lecture series
English-language lectures: Peter Tankov on 10 November and Josef Teichmann on 30 November.
Online round
An online qualifier for eligible undergraduate and Master’s students. Qualifier date and rules will be announced separately.
Offline program
The competition final, student conference and public mathematics at KSE Obolon.
Talks & results
Invited speakers, awards and results. The detailed two-day timetable is coming soon.
9–10 January 2027 · KSE Obolon campus
Research, competition and mathematics for everyone.
Two days bringing together competitors, student researchers, invited speakers and visitors at 19 Obolonska Naberezhna, Kyiv. The detailed schedule will be announced separately.
Team & individual competitions
Two separate competitions: enter as a team, individually, or take part in both. Participants selected through online qualification meet at KSE for the offline finals, awards and results.
Choose team · Individual · Or bothStudent Research Conference + Award
Present and defend your research in scientific battles: a presentation, peer discussion and a response. Probability, stochastic processes, quantitative finance and related mathematics. One $1,000 Student Research Award, exclusively for current undergraduate, Master’s and PhD students.
Apply by 10 December · Peer & committee review · One $1,000 awardGuidelines & submission form ↗A Mathematical Excursion Through Probability Space
An accessible public event for visitors: a guided journey through randomness, games, paradoxes and probabilistic thinking.
Open to all visitorsPRIZES / TWO INDEPENDENT COMPETITIONS
Total competition prize fund
$5,000
Two competitions. Six prize places. Awards in US dollars.
The conference’s single $1,000 Student Research Award is separate and is not included in this $5,000 competition fund.
| Place | Team competitionPer whole team | Individual competitionPer person |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| 2nd | $900 | $600 |
| 3rd | $600 | $400 |
| Total | $3,000 | $2,000 |
- Each team prize is divided equally among its registered team members.
- The two competitions are independent. A participant may receive both an individual prize and a share of a team prize.
- In a tie, the prizes for the occupied places are pooled and shared equally among the tied participants or teams. Places outside the top three add no prize; the total fund does not increase.
LECTURE SERIES / BEFORE THE WEEKEND
ENSAE · IP PARISPETER
TANKOVΔ
TANKOVΔ
Jump-diffusion models for option pricing and hedging
Prof. Peter Tankov · ENSAE, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
18:00 Kyiv / 17:00 Paris
Join online or watch together at the KSE Obolon campus, 19 Obolonska Naberezhna, Kyiv. Peter Tankov will deliver the lecture remotely. Choose online or on-campus attendance in the registration form.
How do sudden price jumps change option pricing and hedging? An introductory lecture on jump-diffusion models, incomplete markets and the volatility smiles and skews of short-dated and 0DTE options. Part of the Probability and Games lecture series.
Read the abstract +
In this introductory lecture, we will begin with a brief overview of jump-diffusion models, discussing the main approaches to option pricing, the implications of market incompleteness, and approximate hedging strategies.
We will then examine recent developments in options markets, focusing on the rapid growth of trading in short-dated and zero-days-to-expiry (0DTE) options and the characteristic features of their implied volatility smiles and skews.
Finally, we will explore the short-maturity behavior of implied volatility in jump-diffusion models, highlighting how these models can capture the pronounced volatility smiles and skews observed in short-dated options and provide a framework for pricing and managing the associated risks.
About the speaker +
Peter Tankov is Professor of Quantitative Finance at ENSAE and Deputy Director of CREST. A specialist in applied probability and financial mathematics, he is an author of Financial Modelling with Jump Processes and recipient of the 2024 Louis Bachelier Prize. His research spans quantitative, energy, green and sustainable finance.
Registration opens in Google Forms. The online joining link and campus room information will be emailed to registered participants separately.
LECTURE SERIES / BEFORE THE WEEKEND
ETH ZURICHJOSEF
TEICHMANN∫
TEICHMANN∫
Monday · 30 November 2026
Signature Features in Finance
Prof. Josef Teichmann · ETH Zurich
18:00 Kyiv / 17:00 Zurich
Join online or gather at the KSE Obolon campus, 19 Obolonska Naberezhna, Kyiv. Josef Teichmann will deliver the lecture remotely. Pizza for the on-campus gathering.
Read the abstract +
Signature transforms constitute an important way to encode path properties in Finance and Technology. Furthermore they come with a mathematically beautiful and deep theory. We review parts of the theory and highlight towards research directions.
Registration opens in Google Forms. Choose online or the on-campus gathering with pizza. Joining details and room information will be emailed to registered participants separately.
03 / Competition registration
Your next move starts here.
9–10 January 2027
Registration is open until 10 December 2026, 23:59 Kyiv time.
For undergraduate and Master’s students. There are two separate competitions: a team competition and an individual competition. You may enter either one or both. Select your competition(s) in the form.
Competition prize fund: $5,000 — $3,000 for the team competition and $2,000 for the individual competition. Prize places & sharing rules ↗
Every participant submits one personal form, even when entering both competitions. For the team competition, all team members use the same team name. If you need a team, select the team-matching option; this is separate from entering the individual competition.
The form includes three mathematical problems. Give your reasoning in Ukrainian or English, not just a final answer. Incomplete approaches are welcome. Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Previously submitted applications are saved.
APPLICATIONS / GOOGLE FORMS
Three problems. Your reasoning.
Deadline: 10 December 2026, 23:59 Kyiv time.
Complete the bilingual form in Google Forms. Your response is saved in the organiser’s account, independently of email delivery.
- Choose team, individual or both competitions
- Your details, team status & travel needs
- Three problems with written reasoning
Hats in a queue · A thousand test tubes · Non-dividing numbers. Explain your solutions in Ukrainian or English; if incomplete, describe your approach.
Register for the competition ↗Opens in a new tab. Submission is complete only after Google displays its confirmation. Email notifications may take time to arrive.
Your registration and solutions are reviewed by the organisers, not published to other applicants. For corrections or deletion: vportnaia@kse.org.ua.
04 / Partners
Main sponsor
Emergent Ventures
USD 15,000Grant funding
Help make the competition happen.
Quantitative trading firms, research teams and technology companies can contribute expertise, competition problems, speakers, prizes, interview opportunities or financial support.
01 / Knowledge partner02 / Problem design03 / Prizes & opportunities04 / Event funding