How We Placed 3rd at the London AI Odyssey CTF 2026
How We Placed 3rd at the London AI Odyssey CTF 2026
In May 2026 I competed in AI Odyssey CTF 2026, right here in London. The competition threw me into a team with people I'd never met before: different countries, different backgrounds, different ways of thinking about a problem. We had a limited window to go from strangers to a working team to a finished submission, and we came out of it with a 3rd-place finish.
Strangers on a Team
The format didn't let anyone ease in. Teams were formed on the spot, so the first challenge wasn't technical at all, it was figuring out, fast, who was strong where, how everyone communicated, and how to turn a group of individuals into something that could actually ship under pressure. That's a different skill than solving a CTF box alone, and it's one I don't get as much practice with.
Working Under Pressure
What stuck with me most was how much the pressure of the clock changed the way we worked. There was no time for perfect plans, just fast iteration, clear communication, and a willingness to change direction the moment something wasn't working. It's a similar muscle to the one I use in security work: assess quickly, commit to a direction, stay honest with the team about what's working and what isn't, and adjust before you've sunk too much time into the wrong path.
The Result
We placed 3rd. Given that none of us had worked together before the event started, I'm genuinely proud of that: it says as much about how the team gelled as it does about what we built.