Author: James B. Shearer
Date: 14:44:46 01/26/99
Go up one level in this thread
On January 26, 1999 at 13:49:06, KarinsDad wrote:
>On January 26, 1999 at 01:42:38, James B. Shearer wrote:
>
<snip>
>
>>So it is conceivable that program x performs at a 2200 level
>>against computers on ICC but performs at a 2400 level against humans on ICC.
>>(Of course such programs should be balanced by other programs which are better
>>against computers so there is no net flow of rating points between the human and
>>computer pools).
>
>Hard to say. I doubt there are many "balancing" programs out there. Since anyone
>can play anyone as many times as they want on the internet, an 1800 player (or
>computer) can endlessly play a 2400 rated computer and slowly bring it's rating
>up (and his rating down).
There have to be balancing programs. Consider program x. It will tend to
win rating points when playing humans and then lose these rating points when
playing computers. It is in effect "pumping" rating points from the human pool
to the computer pool. These points must return to the human pool somehow. This
can only happen if there are other computers which tend to win points against
computers and lose points against humans, thus "pumping" points back to the
human pool. Of course this reverse flow could be spread out over a large number
of computers and be hard to detect for an individual computer.
This "pumping" effect happens only when playing a mix of opponents. For
example if program x played humans only its rating would rise only until it
reached 2400 at which point it would stabilize (with random fluctuations of
course). It would not continue to rise indefinitely. Similarly if x played
computers only its rating would fall to 2200 and stabilize. So if a 1800 player
finds a 2400 computer which is only say 400 points better in games between them,
the 1800 player cannot use this to raise his rating indefinitely. Instead in a
long match the player's rating will tend to approach 1900 and the computer's
will tend to approach 2300.
James B. Shearer
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