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Since you mentioned it...

Posted By: Chuck Bower
Date: Thursday, 19 November 2009, at 10:25 p.m.

In Response To: Giants List - Candidates etc...(long) (Stick)

As many of you know, I bend over backward to cater to objectivity. That is why I came up with an algorithm for choosing my Giant 32. (I could actually make a Giant 300+ from it, but I'm not going to.) Do some of the world's best players get left off. Yes. Do some "donkey's" make my list. Yes. I said I was going for objectivity. I didn't say 'perfection'. (I'll leave the perfect ballots to someone else.) Also note that I try for objectivity but surely never quite get it. So for all you nitpickers out there are want to point out how my algorithm is subjective, I just beat you to it. Nah, nah.

Disclaimers: I'm not going to tell you my exact algorithm. I'm not going to make my list public. I might or might not tell you if you're on my list, and I'm more likely to tell you if you don't ask. My formula is determined BEFORE I take the data -- there's no fudging to include or exclude someone who's a friend, enemy, or someone I perceive as worthy or unworthy of getting votes.

Because the Giants list occurs every two years, I use the results for the past two years posted in CJC's Flint Area Backgammon News (FABN). There are minimum requirements: tournament must be multi-day; must be open to all comers (OK, if a crook shows up and the director bans him, that's still 'open' in my definition). I.e. no intermediate, limited, etc. events make my tally. Singles events only (Even if World#1 played with his girlfriend's comatose grandmother, how do I know granny didn't belch just at the right time to help #1 see the right play s/he almost overlooked?)

Non-US events require multinational cashing. E.g. if Lichtenstein holds a tournament and all cashers are from Lichtenstein, then this TY doesn't get counted. Maybe there were a zillion Germans in the field and it just so happened than none of them cashed. How was I to know? Sorry, Lichtensteiners. (Don't worry, Europeans. Your continent is always well represented in my ballot, including many 1st place finishers.)

Cashing earns points in a binary structure. (E.g. winning is worth twice runnerup; Consolation worth the same as main-runnerup; LC worth same as 3rd/4th main, etc.) Points from finish position is multiplied by number of entrants. Rebuys count in the total but not in the minimum field size (see next). Championship events require 24 players minimum. Masters JP's require 12 players minimum.

Ranking is strictly by points. However, a player must receive points in two or more tournaments (i.e. not just two events in the same tournament). No one-hit wonders.

And as in every ballot, I come in second. I tried once to leave myself off but Jake returned my ballot and told me one of the 32 listed had to be taken off since he was putting my name second -- no exceptions. How else did you expect me to earn Giant points?

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