Although is is hard to play 13 tournement games at once, we certainly have a lot of terrific players and I think we will need to continue with league 1 having 14 players.

i don't think i can handle that many games, especially with the later rounds of monthly cups starting also. if indeed i win enough games to keep my position in league 1 i might not sign up if there are that many players…

If Richard sticks to his last-stated plan (which was put forth in a forum post a few months ago) there would likely be 16 players, less anyone who chooses not to participate.

The last explanations said that the top section would consist of anyone meeting at least 1 of

• top 10 in rating
• top 5 in previous Section 1
• top 2 in either of the Sections 2
  Currently, in the top section, it looks like Martin is the only one who will qualify who isn't already in by rating. But in section 5.2.1 there are 3 players (because of a likley tie), none of whom are in the top 10 ratings, and in section 5.2.2 there are two more such players.

A suggestion to reduce the number a little would be to change 'top 10 in rating' to 'top 5 in rating' or perhaps even better to say 'top 10 in rating as needed to produce a certain number (12?) of participants'.

I think the point of adding the top 10 by rating was to allow relatively new players to jump into championship round 1, if they were clearly of top caliber.

So, I think adding the players from the top 10 who were also NOT in round 1 or 2 of the previous championship (and thus had a fair shot at keeping/winning a spot) would sufice, and keep the numbers lower, too. Seems unfair to not lose your spot in Championship level 1, even if you didn't manage to place in the top 5 (or so - does seem harsh to demote 9 players, though fair).

Note, that this suggestion may very well kick me out of Championship round 1, as I'm unlikely to earn my spot by my record, but am (for now!) still in the top 10.

Then again, personally, I don't mind 13 games starting at a time….

Why let the top 10 players automatically qualify? I personally think that just the top 5 of 1st league and top 2 of both 2nd leagues would do. Obviously, this means that only a few of the top 10 players would play in 1st league at any time. (This would, by the way, kick me too out of 1st league…).

Let the rating competition and the championship be two separate arenas. If, for some reason, it is desireable with more than 9-10 players in 1st league, I feel that letting the top 6,7 or 8 players in 1st leagus stay would be better than automatically allow the top 10 players. I want to struggle for a chance to play in 1st league! :-)

Marius

Rule “TOP 10” is only for players, which NEVER played in 1st league. Because Hex is very quick game and there is already 5th champiosnhip, it is rule valid only for one player, now.

So how many players are likely to be in the next Championship? What is the upper limit, if any? And why should Hex be treated any differently from other games?

Richard, I like your above clarification a lot, and I like your system a lot. Cheers, Bill

In fact using your clarification, I calculate that there will be only 11 players, not 16, in the next league 1 . Perhaps you should have a rule that you will accept more than 5 players from the current league 1 if the next tournement league 1 has less than a certain number (12?) of players.

Well, that clarification of the rules changes everything! I can but applaud. This is indeed the way the rules should be!

Marius

Algorithm for championship is simple:

1. Create list of_participants_ where are all players who registered for next championship

2. From this list are abolished inactive players

3. Players which are in TOP10 and they are in_participants_ and they never play in 1st league are

   moved from participants to participants_1st_league

4. Top5 players from 1st league are moved from_participants to participants_1st_league_

5. Top2 players from 2st league are moved from_participants to participants_1st_league_

6. If in_participants_1st_league_ is less than 9 players, players are added from 1st league (6th,7th,…etc)

7. Other players from 1st league are moved from_participants to participants_2nd_league_

8. etc for others leagues..

This algorithm is even for all games on LG.

A great algorithm. My only suggestion would be to have 12 rather than 9 minimum players in the the 1st hex league since we now have so many very strong players here. Bill

Richard,

I think you should post your championship Algorithm in the main forum. I know that alot of players are wondering what will happen with the next championships.

And thnx to this algorithm I will be able to continue my registration in the championships that I registered :)

Another suggestion I have would be to add to your algorithms that the top 5 in overall ratings (as well as the top 5 in current 1st league) be participants in next 1st league. This would give anyone in top 5 of ratings the right to a rematch in 1st league after a poor showing in current 1st league.

Nice algorithm.

Only change I would suggest is:

Players which are in TOP10 and they are in participants and they never play in 1st **OR 2ND** league are

moved from participants to participants_1st_league

Idea is - having played in 2nd league, they had a fair chance to EARN right to 1st league.

Richard wrote:

“From this list are abolished inactive players”

When is a player considered inactive?

Is this the case when one has no running game since some time, say three months?

I think there were too many contestants in this first league. In fact, I think I would rather play in a second league with nine players, than in the first league with fourteen.

I agree with Marius - I'd like the top five in 1st league and the two best in each of the second leagues to be in the next first league, and then just accept that not all the strong players can be in the 1st league at the same time.

Hi,

It is good to see the algorithm clarification (I was asking about this on the go forum and Richard pointed me here). I'd like to propose a slight change:

Instead of top 5, all players with more wins than losses, keep their place.

When only 9-10 players in the top league this is practically the same, but when 13 players you can get the frustrating result of 8 wins, 4 losses and getting demoted.

The proposal stems from selfish reasons (see http://www.littlegolem.net/jsp/tournament/tournament.jsp?trnid=go9.ch.5.1.1

- once all the games finish I will probably be outside the top 5 solely on a SON difference), but I think it is fair.

i had a look at that tournament, and u cannot lose your #5 sm9…congrats on maintaining your position in first league i'd say ;)

It would also be nice to include Szabo Gabor in the next league one. He is one of only two players ever to have reached 2500 on playsite. Perhaps he will reach top ten by next tournement start. Cheers, Bill

I do not like the current format for the Championships.

Being in anything other than the 1st league makes the whole thing worthless to anyone other than those in the 1st league.

In the current Hex championship I ended up in a 3 way tie for 1st place in the 4th group in the 3rd league !, What does this mean?

I know some like the format. I am guessing they Are soccer fans.

I think we can have a more meaningful, more fun and more exciting Championship with any of several other formats. But they all involve elimination tourneys to get to a final championship.

I would first start a weekly tourney. No more than 5 players per tourney.

Take the 4 players who win the weekly tourney, add the monthly tourney winner and get another winner.

The top 3 players from the previous championship are the only automaticly seeded players in a new championship.

Add as many as necessary 'at large' subtourneys to accomodate everyone.

The top 3 seeded players can also play in the at large tourneys. The idea being to eliminate the field, and keep them involved. A seeded player loosing in an at large tourney does not lose his seeding in the championship. A win by the seeded players would eliminate all from that at large tourney from advancing.

No tourney would have more than 8 players. Another round would be added to the elimination.

This is an idea which would, IMHO, lead to increased interest in hanging around for the tourney. It would give hope to all that all who entered have a shot at being the champ.

There may be, somewhere in the world, the genius of the game that we may never see because he was to impatient to weed thru the current format which may take months, or longer to get to where he could actually challenge for the championship.

I tend to play in streaks, sometimes very good, more often so so. David Bush hit a bad streak in this current hex championship. He seems to have been shocked out of it now.

At first glance one would think that this format would make the championships last longer. I think not. By keeping it more interesting, players would be more attentive, and thus speed the tourney along faster.

In the Championship tourneys, the notion of vacations should be discarded, and the total available time should be reduced. Again, this is in the spirit of moving the championship along rather than dragging it along.

I'm sorry, maybe I missed something. Is this all supposed to MEAN something? It's just a silly game.

You want weekly tourneys? The monthlies are 5 players each also, and they can last over four months. Are you proposing a faster time limit?

The current system is fine with me.

Unless I'm no one, you are wrong. Winning a tournament, means something to me. So does doing well enough in a tournament to achive an objective, such as moving up or retaining my place.

At least in my case, you are wrong again.

bill, i've reached 2500 on playsite now too :)

and i didn't read dj's post because it was too long, but i'm gonna have to agree with everybody who disagrees with him…even though i'm not playing anymore….

Richard wrote:

Top5 players from 1st league are moved from participants

to participants_1st_league

I propose:

Instead of top 5, all players with more wins than

losses, keep their place.

i had a look at that tournament, and u cannot lose

your #5 sm9…congrats on maintaining your position

Thanks - I think you may be right, but I still think my proposal is fair. Now there are two dan players who would get demoted (solely on a SON difference) into a 2nd division where they'll be around 5 ranks stronger than any other player.

We already have 3 kinds of tournaments - Championships, monthly cups and rated tourneys. I think what many argue for in the championship, they can get by playing the monthly cup.

I also feel that playing the championship outside 1st league is fun, and meaningful. I will now drop down to 2nd league, and will sure have lots of fun trying to fight my way back up to 1st. In other games, I sometimes struggle to keep my place in a league, while other times I'm fighting for the 1st or 2nd place, and a chance to advance a league. To me, winning a league is winning, no matter what league it is…

Okay, this thread is also worth restoring to the land of the living.