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Subject: Re: Junior - Crafty NPS Challenge - a user experiment

Author: Sune Fischer

Date: 05:29:27 11/25/03

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On November 25, 2003 at 07:13:48, Uri Blass wrote:

>On November 25, 2003 at 06:47:16, Sune Fischer wrote:
>
>>On November 24, 2003 at 23:18:35, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>>Whether we get 2% draws or 98% draws says nothing about what happens in the
>>>>remaining 98% respectively 2% of the games, and that *only that* is what we are
>>>>interested in.
>>>
>>>That's a problem, IMHO.  IE I get sick and lose one set.  Am I _really_
>>>worse, when we have played 1000 sets all to draws?
>>
>>Definitely, but probably bot by a very large margin, however the question isn't
>>about margins.
>>
>>>>>  Particularly since we are dealing with
>>>>>humans and computers that can "get sick".  Suppose on a normal day we
>>>>>can only draw, but I get sick and lose 6 in a row.  You conclude you
>>>>>are better.  You are wrong.  The 1000 draws are much more representative
>>>>>of how we compare than the 6 wins/losses, in this case.
>>>>
>>>>You are mixing up the two question because you feel that being 0.001 better is
>>>>being equal, and it isn't in a mathematical sense.
>>>
>>>If we played at the same level _every_ set, game or match, I'd agree.
>>
>>Good, so at least we must be agreeing now as far as the engines go!? :)
>>
>>>But
>>>humans don't do that.  with 1000 draws and 1 win I would _not_ say the person
>>>with the 1 win is better, in any way...
>>
>>Do you think statistics care whether the subjects are humans or computers?
>>
>>When you've said A, you must say B. :)
>>
>>-S.
>
>I think that we can say nothing only based on the results of one match.
>
>With deterministic machines and no learning and no book it is possible to get
>A beats B 100-0
>B beats C 100-0
>C beats A 100-0

Yes but that also violates the assumption of independent and stochastic trials.

>The games can be always the same and if you look only in the result of one match
>you can get the wrong conclusion.

The only conclusion you draw is an estimate of who is better, not a very strong
conclusion.

The interesting point here is that the following game sequences (assuming the
assumptions hold):

engineA: ½½½½1½½½½½1½½½½½½½½½1
engineB: ½½½½0½½½½½0½½½½½½½½½0
and
engineA: 111
engineB: 000

has the same probability of A being better.
To me that sounds very plausible, logic even.

-S.

>Uri



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