From: Matt Casters <matt <at> NETPOINT <dot> BE>
Date: 27 feb 1997
Subject: Re: Rating handicap games

------ =_NextPart_000_01BC2497.CE81B580
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


Larry Kaufman wrote :
>the weaker player more than a small chance.  Our system implies that the
>average 4 dan can give the average 1 dan rook & bishop and still score 50%,
>and while this seems outrageous it also seems to be true, both in U.S. and
>in Japan.

I can be rather certain that this is NOT the case in Europe :-) By the way, I
allways thought handicap games were meant to teach people how to play
shogi.  I think that handicap games are a good way to teach somebody (or
experience yourself) the value of the different pieces.
Isn't the whole idea behind 'giving someone a chance to win' a bit silly.
Afther all, you /know/ that there is a handicap involved.  Whatever you call it,
playing with less pieces then your oponent isn't exactly fair.
Then another thing : supose I'm a one kyu and I would study the rook handicap
opening very hard.   I can play this rook handicap opening against for example 2-dan
players.  I'm fairly sure I'dd get a success rate far above 50% on that opening.
Does this then mean that I could promote to become a dan-player ?  I don't think so.
Because in my opinion it would only mean that I learned how to play 1 handicap
opening.  I think that in even game there are a lot more openings to be played
and learnt to promote.
I don't need to tell you I'm very glad we don't promote on handicap games in Europe :-)

just my $.02 worth,

Matt
Average 2Dan, (+-1.5dan, eliminate my worst loss and my best win ;-)

------ =_NextPart_000_01BC2497.CE81B580
Content-Type: application/ms-tnef
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
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------ =_NextPart_000_01BC2497.CE81B580--