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Subject: Re: Rating in ICC is meaningless and here is an example

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 12:25:41 01/15/03

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On January 15, 2003 at 13:03:16, Miguel A. Ballicora wrote:

>On January 15, 2003 at 12:52:42, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On January 15, 2003 at 12:07:45, Richard Pijl wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>>How can it be?  The order of the games is going to influence the rating
>>>>significantly since more recent games have more weight than earlier games.
>>>>
>>>That is not what he suggested.
>>>
>>>The difference in calculating is very small, but in extreme cases a very
>>>different result
>>>
>>>What Miguel suggested is to calculate the expected result for each game for an
>>>assumed rating, and then add all those expected results together. If the real
>>>result is higher than this sum, try again with a higher assumed rating, if it's
>>>lower, try again with a lower assumed rating until the best approximation is
>>>found.
>>>
>>>The advantage is quite clear when using an extreme example:
>>>
>>>Suppose you play:
>>>9 games against a 1000 player with 50%
>>>1 game against a 2000 player with 0 %
>>>
>>>score 45% with average opposition 1100 -> TPR just below 1100
>>>
>>>Let's say we play 5 more games against the 2000 player.
>>>Score is now 33%, average opposition 1400 -> TPR rises to somewhere around 1250
>>>if I'm not mistaken.
>>>
>>
>>As I have said, that is not a realistic happening for _normal_ rating
>>scenarios.  But on ICC it is likely and the problem is that we are now
>>rating _matches_ between a rated and unrated player.  Unfortunately there
>>is no real alternative other than to make new players play in a couple of
>>"rating tournaments" before playing individual players in matches, which is
>>doable and would have a better result than any attempt at fixing the
>>provisional scheme which is not broken.
>>
>>
>>>Now compare with Miguels scheme.
>>>
>>>Start with the assumed rating of 1000:
>>>9x against 1000 -> expected result 4.5
>>>1x against 2000 -> expected result 0.01 (or something like that, very small)
>>>
>>>This is very close to the real result.
>>>
>>>Now the additional games:
>>>
>>>again assume a rating of 1000
>>>9x against 1000 -> exp. result 4.5
>>>6x against 2000 -> exp. result 0.06
>>>
>>>Again, quite close to the real result.
>>
>>Play the 2000 players first.  Now what??
>
>To be honest, I do not understand what you don't understand.
>
>4.5 + 0.06 = 0.06 + 4.5
>
>What is the relevance of what game was played first?

The way you are proposing, I assume that after playing 6 games, you are going to
use
_that_ as my "official rating".  But what will it look like after 8 games?
Until you
get enough games, it is going to vary every time you add another result into the
mix,
which is what happens with TPR and with the normal Elo calculation after the
fact...


>
>>>As far as I know rating calculation for established ratings is done in a similar
>>>way to Miguels suggestion; not taking the average of the opponent's rating, but
>>>base it on the sum of expected results instead.
>>
>>How can you know the expected result _prior_ to having any results to base it
>>on?  That is what the provisional rating period tries to establish, and it does
>>so pretty well overall.
>
>No it sucks, but the only reason why it is not more obvious is that, as you
>said, generally players face opponents that are relatively close to their
>ratings. It is not the case in ICC as you say, and it was not the case for
>Karpov when it played the US Amateur Team Championship in 98. In those cases, it
>shows.
>
>Miguel



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