Author: Sune Fischer
Date: 10:57:18 07/14/03
Go up one level in this thread
On July 14, 2003 at 13:33:26, Robert Hyatt wrote: >On July 14, 2003 at 05:14:06, Sune Fischer wrote: > >>On July 14, 2003 at 00:00:53, Robert Hyatt wrote: >> >>>If you let a new, strong player start at the top, he can establish a higher >>>rating than if he started at the bottom and stumbled a few times, all the while >>>dragging everyone's rating above him downward, rather than just jumping on the >>>top few and leaping over them. >>> >> >>Yes, but only because the Elo formula is flawed! > >I don't think it is _flawed_ at all. It does its job pretty well. The >only problem is that the number (rating) is not an absolute measure of >strength, it is simply relative to the current players in the population. I believe it is, for the reason I stated below. >>If the formula was working accurately it wouldn't matter where he played, he >>should end up getting the same 2800 rating whether he played 2100 opponents or >>2750 opponents. > > >NO, and that is a basic misunderstanding. In the Elo system, X and Y >(those being rating numbers) are _meaningless. X-Y is the only thing >that carries any information content. IE the relative difference, not >the absolute number. Elo _never_ claimed that the absolute rating of a >player meant anything, it is only useful when compared to another rating >to predict the outcome between those two players. > I think it is you who is misunderstanding here, I'm not talking about the absoluteness at all. The 2800 was _relative_ to the group. >>It seems to me you want to subject him to a flawed formula by pitting him >>against lower rated playes so he gets a deflated rating, I don't think that is a >>good idea. > >I simply suggested a way to prevent ratings of 3200 in a couple of years. >Because so many want the absolute rating to mean something when it doesn't. Ahem... Are we on wavelength here? -S.
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