From: "B.Rulla" BERLIN DE> Date: 6 mar 2001 Subject: Re: Comments wanted: Shogi ladder changes Hello Eduard, with great interest I read your comments and proposals to the Shogi ladder. With most points I strongly agree. > You always get one opponent assigned; Will it be possible to decline? Or is it "You always get AT LEAST one opponent assigned". Sorry for being picky... > b) after 6 months if you only have one game dragging on for that > time (whatever is earlier). Here it should be possible to prove a reason for the delay, e.g. especially difficult game, forced breaks in the game due to computer problems, illness,... > (We might put an additional flag into the ladderrank indicating > whether you're accepting further challenges.) That's a really great idea!! It avoids many challenges made in vain. > The evaluation of the game will then be different, according > to the rating difference and the handicap. I have no experience with rating of games at all. We should be careful that the procedure does not get too complicated and scares people off to join the ladder... am I the only one with that? :) > 4. New players w.o. any national or international rating will have > a preliminary rating for 4 games. That's the case for many players on the ladder, no? > Preliminary rating means it will have less influence on the change > of their opponents' rating. Why that? For example in the IECG chess group, everybody gets a first rating and then at once plays "full power" with that rating that is changed according to the game results. For me there would be nothing wron with that... > New players with a national rating can choose whether to take over > their ELO rating, their grade, or nothing at all National ratings are based on different ways to measure, no? So would it not be better to have a rating of the Shogi ladder that is used for everyone in the same way? Or is there an international standard for rating? With the best Shogi greetings, hoping for a more attractive and vivid Shogi Ladder, Bernhard Rulla