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Subject: Re: why don't people understand that ratings are relative

Author: Sune Fischer

Date: 02:08:24 02/19/03

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On February 18, 2003 at 23:34:50, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On February 18, 2003 at 05:21:00, Sune Fischer wrote:
>
>>On February 18, 2003 at 04:38:32, Alastair Scott wrote:
>>
>>>On February 17, 2003 at 14:41:34, Anthony Cozzie wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>the elo system has no defined 0.  results are only defined in terms of wins and
>>>>losses.  For example, suppose one defined the average elo to be 1600, and placed
>>>>Kramnik, Kasparov, and Shirov in a room together and had them play 5000 games.
>>>>Kasparov's rating would be 1650 at best.  Or we could define the 0 to be 0 -
>>>>Kasparov would have a rating of 1200, and some people would have negative
>>>>rating!  The whole thing is just like potential energy in physics: only
>>>>differences in the rating system are meaningful.
>>>
>>>Excellent explanation, and there is also the Flynn effect (such rating systems
>>>tend to progressively inflate the numbers over time), which I believe has never
>>>been explained.
>>
>>How do you know they inflate if you can't compare them?
>>
>>-S.
>>
>
>One simple idea is to compare the "average" rating for the pool, over
>time.  IE the average "IQ" is not going up, so the average rating should
>not go up since it is a relative measure among the pool members.  If it does
>go up, it has to be inflation since not _everybody_ is going to improve
>steadily...
>

Perhaps, I think those that play chess today has an easier time getting a game
going (via Internet or own programs), so it is possible that they improve faster
than 20 years ago where the only option was to play once a week down in the
local club.

-S.



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