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Subject: Re: List of participants for WCCC

Author: Omid David Tabibi

Date: 13:22:09 05/19/04

Go up one level in this thread


On May 19, 2004 at 16:09:19, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On May 19, 2004 at 14:48:16, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>
>>On May 19, 2004 at 13:20:35, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On May 19, 2004 at 12:19:05, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>
>>>>On May 19, 2004 at 11:56:37, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On May 19, 2004 at 03:38:52, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On May 18, 2004 at 13:56:25, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On May 18, 2004 at 13:46:02, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I hope that makes it clear why _I_ have not said much about playing this year.
>>>>>>>>>Who knows _what_ rule(s) the ICCA will use this time around.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I know. And I have told you many times.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>That is _really_ convincing.  You guys don't even want to produce a list of who
>>>>>>>is playing???
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Check the WCCC page today.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Last time I looked _you_ didn't speak for the ICCA any more than the organizers
>>>>>>>of the WCCC I tried to enter a couple of years back spoke for it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I don't know when or where you looked, or what happened in Paris or Jakarta that
>>>>>>you frequently mention. What I know is about WCCC 2004, and I am telling you in
>>>>>>the clearest possible way what will be the case here.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>I'll run through this once more.  Slowly.
>>>>>
>>>>>In Jakarta, there was _no_ outside communication.  No game results.  No nothing.
>>>>> Dead silence.
>>>>>
>>>>>In Paris, same deal.  No internet access.  No nothing.  I believe this was the
>>>>>event where Thorsten was getting results out at his own expense via cell.
>>>>>
>>>>>Two of the first two WMCCC's I ever participated in.  While at every ACM and
>>>>>WCCC event past 1980 we had outside world access.
>>>>>
>>>>>Then For one of the more recent events, and no, now I don't even remember which
>>>>>because I no longer care, I made arrangements to get a pretty good box (8-way
>>>>>from Dell) and when they finally worked out the details for me, I tried to enter
>>>>>and was told "We have a new rule that says that a programmer _must_ attend."
>>>>>Bruce Moreland went to this event and can confirm all of this as he and I talked
>>>>>about it multiple times.  I then "undid" my machine arrangements, a bit
>>>>>embarassing after having asked and having had some folks at Dell go out of the
>>>>>way to help.  Later Bruce tells me that a commercial entry could not get the
>>>>>programmer there and the ICCA decided to drop the rule.
>>>>>
>>>>>Doesn't that do wonders for my wanting to participate _again_??  Doesn't that
>>>>>make me take what you say on behalf of the ICCA at something less than true face
>>>>>value, since the rules get changed on a whim???
>>>>>
>>>>>That is my problem.  Later they _again_ modified this rule so that it became
>>>>>possible to have a non-programmer operator, but at double the normal entry fee.
>>>>>What is _that_ about?  This is an organization that wants to promote computer
>>>>>chess or throttle it?  Is it all about the money going in to the ICCA?   Or is
>>>>>it about the computer chess competition and interest in same?
>>>>>
>>>>>Looks _bad_ from my perspective.  And when the last CCT had what appears to be
>>>>>over 5x the entries of the current WCCC event, and there is no cost, and there
>>>>>are no changing entry rules, and so forth, what is the incentive to go to a WCCC
>>>>>rather than the next CCT event?
>>>>>
>>>>>Hopefully you get my drift.
>>>>>
>>>>>I don't believe _any_ of this has put the ICCA in a particularly favorable
>>>>>light.  I guess those of us that originally formed this organization can just
>>>>>carry on feeling embarassed about how the tournaments have been handled the past
>>>>>few years.  The journal is a good thing.  But the tournament (which was
>>>>>originally the 'flagship' of the ICCA) has gone steadily downhill.
>>>>>
>>>>>How would _you_ react to such utter nonsense???
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>It seems that indeed some points where unclear in some of the previous WCCCs.
>>>>But again, I am only responsible for the current WCCC. And I am doing my best to
>>>>clarify the things as much as possible.
>>>
>>>Yes you are.  But as I mentioned _YOU_ are not the ICGA.  Through at least 1992
>>>or so, "we programmers" had a strong voice in what happened.  Somewhere around
>>>1992-1995 things started to change however.
>>>
>>
>>As long as it was about providing information, I replied to everything you
>>asked. If it is about flamewars, I'm too busy to take part, sorry.
>
>I see no flame war from my end.  I pointed out a _big_ ICCA problem.  I ran into
>it _personally_.  And I have seen _nothing_ to date that is any sort of
>guarantee that it won't happen again...
>
>IE, again, and you have not answered this, why double the entry fee for someone
>that can't possibly attend any other way than with a remote operator?

It is an old rule and the source of it might be as Gerd mentioned:
http://talkchess.com/forums/1/message.html?366100
The logic behind this rule is very clear: to encourage the programmers to attend
in person (after all, it is a programmers event).

If your operator must fly to Israel, then he will receive $500 grant for
covering the ticket costs (assuming you register soon, as the grant is for the
first 12 amateurs only). And you start complaining about 25 Euros?  [sigh...]




>What is
>the justification, the logic, the common sense, that would cause such an idea to
>even be considered, much less put into place???
>
>Did you know that I attended almost every ACM event from 1976 to 1994?  Did you
>know that my program played in the WCCC in 1977, 1983, 1986, and 1989?  Do you
>know what I had to pay in entry fees for all those events?  Not one thin dime.
>An entry fee is _pointless_ and only becomes an obstacle in an already expensive
>operation.  The ACM even paid all remote telephone costs in the pre-internet
>days...  All we had to do was arrange for our machine, and get ourselves to the
>event.  Sometimes the ACM even helped everyone with travel...
>
>Look at where we are today in contrast...
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>At the CCT we manage to have an _open_ discussion about the rules _before_ the
>>>>>>>event, and then we go by those rules.  The ICCA might try that at some point in
>>>>>>>time, perhaps???
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I'd love to play remotely.  Once it becomes obvious that doing so is "OK".
>>>>>>
>>>>>>We don't provide operators here. But if you send someone to operate Crafty on
>>>>>>your behalf, that is OK.
>>>>>
>>>>>I have a volunteer that would do well.  I'll investigate hardware one more time.
>>>>> But I can guarantee you that if the rules change this time, it will be my
>>>>>absolute last time to try this...
>>>>
>>>>If you send an operator here, there will be no problem.



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