From: Pieter Stouten <stoutepf <at> CARBON <dot> DMPC <dot> COM>
Date: 3 oct 1996
Subject: Re: Grading in Shogi variants

At 18:10 +0100 96/10/01, Colin Paul Adams wrote:

>In conclusion, I think grades for individual Shogi variants should
>not be assumed to start at 15 kyu, but rather should be assumed to
>descend from 9-dan. Problem: determine the world's strongest
>player.
>
Another problem is how to relate handicaps to grade differences? Yet
another, more severe problem is that handicaps are not linear anymore when
they get larger. An example from regular Shogi: player A and B may have
equal chances when A gives B a rook+lance (5 grades difference), and B and
C may have equal chances when B gives C a rook+lance (5 grades difference),
but A may not stand a chance at all when giving C five pieces (10 grades
difference). Also, two professional grades roughly equal one amateur grade.

This just serves to show that fairly arbitrary decisions may have been
(have to be) made even when one fixes the top player at 9-dan. I would look
at the issue from a different perspective:
1) Assume that players of shogi variants are also shogi players.
2) They (the general population of variant players) are probably nowhere
   near 9-dan grade (i.e., absolute top level) in either game, and
   probably weaker (if that can be compared) in variant play.
3) They probably can relate to the range of strengths around their own in
   regular shogi.
4) If all this is true then it seems to make sense to start at 15 kyu or
   e.g. fix the top level at 1-dan or make the average 8-kyu.

The only point I want to make is that since arbitrary decisions have to be
made, one might as well chose a grade range that people (based on their
strength in regular shogi and their own perception of how much weaker, or
possibly stronger, they are at playing a given variant) feel intuitively
comfortable with.

Cheers, Pieter.

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