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Subject: Re: Test results and real Strength

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 06:53:15 02/20/03

Go up one level in this thread


On February 20, 2003 at 09:43:32, Rolf Tueschen wrote:

>On February 20, 2003 at 08:57:48, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On February 20, 2003 at 06:22:01, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>>
>>>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...
>>>
>>>Actually it goes up due to learning by doing, hence the testers will always
>>>adapt their tests to the actual level of information - based on the fact that
>>>the average as such - like you've stated - does NOT change. The average of
>>>intelligence.
>>>
>>>The same shoud be done with the Elo listing. The rise of the numbers on the top
>>>implies a rising "strength" which is false! The strength is NOT rising but the
>>>informational level about chess is still making progress.
>>>
>>>Strength is not identical with historic progress because historic levels rise
>>>for the whole population, but not their 'strength'.
>>>
>>>It's clear that the strong players and more their claque try to confuse about
>>>the historical relativity of their performance. But Kasparov is not stronger
>>>than Fischer, actually he's already weaker than Kramnik, by 100 Elo points. This
>>>is ridiculous to assume.
>>>
>>>Rolf Tueschen
>>
>>I think that this subjext has nothing to do with intelligence.
>>
>>There are very intelligent people who are weak chess players because they have
>>no experience in chess or because their memory is not good enough to imagine the
>>position 10 plies later correctly.
>
>Exactly. But Uri, please, I always like to debate with you. Here you have
>overseen that the "IQ", not invented by me here in the debate, was just an
>example for a special test methodology. NOT because IQ now was equalized to
>chess. That wasn't the point. I know this because I've read the whole thread
>here.
>
>
>>
>>I think that humans have the potential to improve by better training methods.
>
>For sure. Without training no GM. Or let's better say no good or top GM. If
>Anand would have been trained in the USSR, he would be World Champion for sure.
>
>
>>
>>Many years ago people could not use computers to train and today they can do it
>>so it is logical to believe that players of today can be better not because they
>>are more intelligent but because they have more options to train.
>
>It's only logical if you believe that inborn talents or genius could be made
>even better with training. But this is false.

How do you know it?

I believe in it and I see no reason to change my mind because I have no evidence
that Fisher could not play better with better training methods.


Uri





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