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Subject: Re: 9 rounds will not always give you the "best" program

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 14:27:44 01/20/03

Go up one level in this thread


On January 20, 2003 at 17:02:35, James T. Walker wrote:

>On January 20, 2003 at 16:51:00, Dann Corbit wrote:
>
>>On January 20, 2003 at 16:38:47, James T. Walker wrote:
>>>On January 20, 2003 at 14:42:10, Dann Corbit wrote:
>>>>On January 20, 2003 at 11:39:27, James T. Walker wrote:
>>>>>Neither will 90 rounds.  I've seen some discussion about the
>>>>>times/rounds/playoffs of CCT mostly looking for ways to improve the format.  In
>>>>>my opinion as a spectator the format is great.  I even liked the playoff format.
>>>>> I believe a world championship was decided in a similiar manner not too long
>>>>>ago.  Nobody should expect a swiss system event to produce the strongest player
>>>>>as the winner every time.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>The Swiss system produces two data points:
>>>>1.  The strongest player
>>>>2.  The weakest player
>>>
>>>Sorry Dan but I have to disagree with you (as usual).  The Swiss system produces
>>>a winner and all other spots down the list.  Each one can be a data point.
>>>Since you can run the same tournament next week-end and get a different winner
>>>it does NOT produce the strongest player.  It produces a winner for that
>>>tournament only.  So what!  It's why we play the game.  Also just because one
>>>program finished last this time does not mean it is the weakest and will repeat
>>>next week.  (Unless it is so weak it is doomed to that position all the time)
>>
>>I think you missed my point.
>I think not.  I think you missed mine.  So I will spell it out for you.  Since
>there is no perfect format to find the strongest program, I find the format in
>use to be great for spectators like me.  Programmers who lost should just get
>over it since they might be the lucky winner next time.  The playoff format has
>been used in world championship competition so it's also fine by me as a
>spectator.

I thought you were saying that the format chosen was not the best one to find
which program is strongest.  It is the best for that.

>>No contest can truly tell us which program is strongest.  Not even a trillion
>>rounds of round-robin.
>I disagree again.  I believe a trillion rounds will show which program is
>strongest.

You're wrong.

>>However, for a given number of games, a swiss tournament tells us more about
>>which player is strongest (and weakest) than any other format does.
>
>I agree.
>Jim



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