On 8 Jan 2004 10:31:46 -0800, Kevin L. Bachler
wrote:

I thought these examples may help.

Think of the strengths of players and the rating system as a balance scale. We
are trying to put enough points on the scale to balance it against the strength
(instead of weight) of the players.

In this sense, it is vaguely like double-entry accounting. The goal is to have
the strength (assets) equal the points (liability & shareholders equity).

Thanks. I like the analogy.

"Mike Murray" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:47:05 -0800, "Tom Klem"
wrote:

I'm sure if he were here to tell it, Yamamoto would agree. (... began his
study of economics at Harvard in 1916, and led the attack on Pearl Harbor
in
1941)

Harvard grad? And he ended up just hanging around. Tsk, Tsk.


Actually, he got a belly full of lead near Bougainville on April 18, 1943.
He didn't have much hang time after the two 'Betty's' and three Zekes were
shot down. Maybe a minute or two, if he wasn't already dismembered by the
..50 cal armaments or the 20 mm cannon, deployed on the P-38's of the jungle
Air Force.

"RSHaas" wrote in message
...
"What about Hikaru Nakamura?" (Tom Klem)
============
Gee, in just a few years he'll be able to play the role of a Japanese
soldier
in the war movies. They'll show him playing Go around the campfire while
commando Booz sneaks up with a K-bar in his teeth.

RSHaas



Knowing Hikaru, as I do, even the illusive Mr Booz, will not successfully
sneak up on him.

No matter what the script sez

Tom Klem

Fischer had a lot less competition. In fact, isn't it really true that the
gentlemen mentioned below are pretty much all that was in the GM category
for him to play at the tournaments 'back in the day'?

The world is literally crawling with GMs now, compared to that time period.

Tom Klem



"Angelo DePalma" wrote in message
...


Nakamura, at age 16, is barely a third-tier GM. In the DePalma system
first
tier is about 2700, then 2625, then 2550, then below that are guys who
get invited to the Greater St. Alphonzo's Open in Mauritania. At 14
Fischer
was playing Tal, Byrne, Petrosian, Botvinnik, Reshevsky. Yikes

It would be great if Hikaru joined the second tier or first tier by age
20,
but 2700 status seems highly unlikely for a guy who plays mostly other
third-tier GMs, equivalent IMs, and the likes of me in World Open side
games.

Christiansen was #17 in the world at his peak and has beaten Karpov. I
think
Browne was around #25 and Seirawan somewhere around there. But that was
long
ago.

Angelo


"Tom Klem" wrote in message
news:4fkLb.61150$BQ5.1511@fed1read03...

"RSHaas" wrote in message
...
"Our last home grown world-class GMs were Larry Christiansen, Walter
Browne,
and Yasser Seirawan. That was back in the freaking '70s, before you
were
born!
All are well past their prime. (adp)
==============
The '70's would be pre-scholastic chess era. Nowadays the USA
leads
the
world in players rated 500 and below.

RSHaas

What about Hikaru Nakamura?

Tom Klem

On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 22:05:50 -0800, "Tom Klem"
wrote:

"Mike Murray" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:47:05 -0800, "Tom Klem"
wrote:

I'm sure if he were here to tell it, Yamamoto would agree. (... began his
study of economics at Harvard in 1916, and led the attack on Pearl Harbor
in
1941)

Harvard grad? And he ended up just hanging around. Tsk, Tsk.

Actually, he got a belly full of lead near Bougainville on April 18, 1943.
He didn't have much hang time after the two 'Betty's' and three Zekes were
shot down. Maybe a minute or two, if he wasn't already dismembered by the
.50 cal armaments or the 20 mm cannon, deployed on the P-38's of the jungle
Air Force.

I was confusing him with Tojo.

"I can confirm this bit of World Chess Trivia. The winner was indeed Win Moe.
Second was Win Larry. Win Curly and Win Shemp were tied for 3-4." (adp)
=============
In last place was No Moe.

RSHaas

"Tom Klem" writes:
Fischer had a lot less competition. In fact, isn't it really true that the
gentlemen mentioned below are pretty much all that was in the GM category
for him to play at the tournaments 'back in the day'?

I don't think Fischer played those GM's at age 14. He may have played
some American GM's like Evans, R. Byrne, etc. back then. He was 15
when he played in the Interzonal if I remember right, but yes, the top
GM's were also playing there. After the Interzonal he played in the
WC Candidates Matches (which is all-GM by definition) where he got pasted
4-0 to M. Tal but got a respectable score against the other players.

Bitter? Not at all. I was
man enough to admit that my team tanked (and my prowess as a football analyst
left something to be desired), and even though you
felt it necessary to whomp on me while I was down, as well as disparage us
further by degrading the entire conference

Come on now, I did little more than point out the poor performance of the Big
12 Bowl teams.
When Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas, all lose
while Texas Tech only beats Navy and Nebraska struggles by Michigan State, I
just observed it was a down year amongst the Big 12 teams. The sports writers
have been far less kind.

While you have no future as a bookie, it sounds like you are a good dad.
By the way, I taught my five year old son David to play chess in Hong Kong and
had the pressence of mind to take a picture on that first day. He looked so
intense, but I suspect he didn't know which way the horsie moved.

Rp

On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 22:10:04 -0800, "Tom Klem"
wrote:

Fischer had a lot less competition. In fact, isn't it really true that the
gentlemen mentioned below are pretty much all that was in the GM category
for him to play at the tournaments 'back in the day'?

What?

Domestic: Benko, Rossolimo, Evans, Bisguier, most of 'em near their
peak of strength.

Foreign: Keres, Bronstein, Gligorich, Korchnoi, Najdorf, Larsen,
Geller, Portisch, Taimanov, Hort, Ivkov, many more

The world is literally crawling with GMs now, compared to that time period.
At 14 Fischer
was playing Tal, Byrne, Petrosian, Botvinnik, Reshevsky. Yikes

"Actually, he got a belly full of lead near Bougainville on April 18, 1943."
(thewiz)
===============
Yes, the famous P-38 ambush of WWII. Thomas Landpheir of Lousiana is
credited with shooting down Yamamoto's plane, but many claim it was Landphier's
wingman who performed the deed.

RSHaas