From: Pieter Stouten <STOUTEN <at> EMBL <dot> BITNET>
Date: 20 aug 1990
Subject: Re: Question about the ladder rules

At the end of July there were some questions about the ladder. I am sorry
that I reply so late, but I am gradually plowing through the 100+ mails that
arrived during my (only !) 3 weeks holiday. Adam Atkinson asked:
 
>What happens if someone is ahead of you, you challenge them, and
>you win the game, but in the meantime you overtake them by beating
>someone else. Does your winning the game cause you to be demoted?
 
Chris Sterritt (ladder coordinator) replied:
 
>Nope!
 
Although the answer is perfectly correct, I felt it needs some explanation.
After a game has FINISHED, the consequences of the game are being assesed
according to the CURRENT position of both players. Irrespective of the moment
the game started. And at any moment, it is only the player CURRENTLY lowest
on the ladder who will be promoted upon winning a game.
So it is perfectly possible that one challanges a player above oneself (one
cannot challange a player lower on the ladder anyway), but that during the
game the position of one or both players changes and that the actual
relative order is reversed.
 
   Pieter Stouten <stouten <at> embl <dot> bitnet>