L19 Go Club/League/Whatever

[moyoaji]

The West Michigan Go Club uses this system:

First, players try to determine their starting handicap against each other. They play an even game and then estimate based on the outcome (usually a stone for every 10 points lost by - sometimes an additional game is played at an intermediate handicap to see if that is correct). After that, we play starting at that handicap.

The games are then best of 3 series. So, let's say John and Tim play where Tim has 3 stones. If Tim wins 2 games in a row, they move to 2 stones. If John then wins 2 they move back to 3. If each wins 1 game, then the next game is pretty exciting as it determines how the handicap moves. (This is actually how 2 of our players have been going for a couple months) I like this system because if feels motivating. I had to study hard this past week because I was playing a third match at the club.

As for the question of a 1 stone handicap, that's the weaker player taking black with no komi.

However, whatever system you guys agree to, I'd be interested in joining this League.

[csobod]

The West Michigan Go Club uses this system:

First, players try to determine their starting handicap against each other. They play an even game and then estimate based on the outcome (usually a stone for every 10 points lost by - sometimes an additional game is played at an intermediate handicap to see if that is correct). After that, we play starting at that handicap.

The games are then best of 3 series. So, let's say John and Tim play where Tim has 3 stones. If Tim wins 2 games in a row, they move to 2 stones. If John then wins 2 they move back to 3. If each wins 1 game, then the next game is pretty exciting as it determines how the handicap moves. (This is actually how 2 of our players have been going for a couple months) I like this system because if feels motivating. I had to study hard this past week because I was playing a third match at the club.

As for the question of a 1 stone handicap, that's the weaker player taking black with no komi.

However, whatever system you guys agree to, I'd be interested in joining this League.

I think this is what we'll adopt a the Rochester Hills Go Club. We were actually hoping to try to arrange a tournament with you guys sometime this fall/winter, like an east-meets-west meetup to be hosted either in Lansing or Detroit.

[skydyr]

However, whatever system you guys agree to, I'd be interested in joining this League.

The system as discussed was no komi matches, every X wins ahead the handicap changes, and you keep track of handicap individually. How fine grained the handicap change is is up to you and the person you are playing. I think there was some consensus on half steps (BW > all B > B2 > all 2) but I may be mistaken.

[Shinkenjoe]

I'd also be in.

When and where do we start ?

[Splatted]

Sorry I haven't replied to this thread for a while; I keep seeing it when I haven't got much time. I'll update the first post with the new members/additional info later today.

[hyperpape]

Could I make a suggestion here?

Instead of asking a group of people most of whom can be assumed to lack the background in mathematics to properly answer the question (except as a pure guess) how about changing the poll question into something that we can assume that they do understand and then the math folks among us can translate that into the proper number of games won/lost.

In other words, as "what is the acceptable level of error changing rank assignments?". Is it OK to be wrong one time in four? (changed rank but shouldn't have). One time in eight? Or am I going in the wrong direction? Would anybody be happy with changing the rank as soon as more likely than not justified? (in other words, wrong half the time).

This doesn't work. Unless you really deeply understand the space of possible outcomes, and tradeoffs involved between various goals, this apparently precise method is not going to yield sensible results.

You can't even choose a good metric to optimize until you really know the statistics. So better to keep things wholly based on intuition/feel until you get to the kind of system (KGS, AGA, EGF) that demands a good statistically based system, and let that system be developed by the statisticians.

[Splatted]

I've updated the first post. Let me know if I've missed anything.

[moyoaji]

Yeah, I would like to join.

[Splatted]

Sorry Moyoaji, I've added you now.