Author: greg moller
Date: 21:39:42 05/06/99
Go up one level in this thread
On May 06, 1999 at 19:37:02, Peter Kappler wrote: >On May 06, 1999 at 17:17:10, Luis E. Alvarado wrote: > >>I do not understand why the BLITZ ratings of IM and GM masters on ICC are so >>inflated. Is this normal? Why some GM with ELO ratings betwen 2500 and 2600s >>have BLITZ ratings in the 3000s. It appears that these rating are biased by mor >>e than 400 points on the top end. > > >ICC ratings are unreliable for a variety of reasons: > > >1) Cheating. Many players use computer assistance (wihout saying so). This >causes their ratings to fluctuate wildly. > >2) Non-random opponent selection. I know players who will avoid an opponent >whose rating is currently below their true strength. Likewise they will try to >players that they think are overrated. Or they will find an opponent who >doesn't match up well with them and play them over and over. My experience is >that a few of the Crafty operators are the worst offenders... > >3) Anti-computer specialists. This is really just a special case of #2. These >people play a very slow, quiet game that is difficult for computers, or they >search for holes in the opening books of automated computer accounts and exploit >them. My program, Grok, has recently suffered from this... > >4) Varying time controls. This may sound silly, but the fact is that some >people are particularly good at certain time controls. If a 3 0 specialist >happens to play a 3 0 match against another player who is used to a slower time >control like 5 3, the result will probably be skewed in favor of the first >player. > >I could go on and on, but I think these are the main problems. Obviously #4 is >pretty minor, but #1-3 cause big problems with the efficiency of the rating >pool. Since the computer-related problems tend to have more impact at the high >end of the rating scale, I think the ratings are particularly unreliable there. > >--Peter You've pretty much summarized the big reasons for inflation at the top. I would even argue that #4 is a major reason as well. As Jim Walker suggested, 3 0 blitz is a specialized form of chess, one which basically introduces an extra level of skill into the game. As a result, players with great mouse skills, or automated computers that can move instantly pretty much dominate the top of the list, pushing ratings up for those players to set them apart from the others. regards, gm
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