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BGonline.org Forums
Is there a future for the Giants List?
Posted By: Bill Riles In Response To: Is there a future for the Giants List? (Petko)
Date: Sunday, 21 February 2016, at 2:27 a.m.
Let me say this is my own personal post and opinion. It has nothing to do with the USBGF, does not represent the USBGF, and has not been heard, authorized, or endorsed by the USBGF.
I love backgammon. I love the history of backgammon. I love backgammon institutions. I detest seeing an institution mocked as I feel the Giants list was mocked in the most recent vote.
I love CJC and all she has done for the game over so many years. I've met Yamin a few times and he seems like a very nice guy. I respect Jake from a backgammon perspective. I very much appreciate all they have done for the game over the years with the Giants list.
I feared this latest controversy might come to this. I all but begged the Giants Committee to respond even if they chose not to act. Perhaps some action or statement, any action or statement, would have rendered this thread unnecessary. They chose to make no substantive response nor to take the current controversy seriously -- here we are.
There were always basic flaws with the system over the years which created some controversy with the results. This year a number of voters took advantage of the flaws to manipulate the system. Plenty of fault may be assigned to various parties. There is substantial evidence that unscrupulous voters purposely manipulated the system with little regard for the intent to name the best backgammon players in the world. The procedure allowed a number of less than qualified voters to participate and did not eliminate nonsensical ballots. Consequently, the results were tarnished and rendered meaningless and/or unacceptable to many. It is unfortunate that what should be a celebration of accomplishment for our greatest players is stained by the actions of a few -- and tarnishes everyone, adding asterisks to the results and positions.
If the Giants List is to continue I think several things must be changed. First, the 2015 current results must be discarded or revised -- they simply cannot be allowed to stand. The results may be discarded and the voting done again with tighter standards; or the existing ballots may be recounted after elimination of the ballots of unqualified voters and ballots that are obviously a joke.
Several objective mathematical procedures have been proposed to recount the 2015 ballots -- and to count future years' ballots. All have some merit. I proposed one whereby 'outlier' ballots are discarded. One could take the existing results and compare each ballot to the actual results and eliminate 'outlier' ballots that exceed some established standard deviation criteria. This could be done in an iterative fashion -- as the results change each cycle -- until no 'outlier' ballots remain and all ballots accepted are conforming within the standard deviation criteria.
Going forward several things can be done. In my estimation the largest problem is the criteria used to accept voters. In the USA, Europe, Japan, and other places, major tournaments have multiple divisions. To vote on the Giants list, one has to play at the Open/Championship level. In other areas -- Croatia, Bosnia, Turkey, Cyprus, etc. -- major tournaments have but a single division. The Giants Committee allows anyone entering such tournament to vote for the Giants, regardless of skill level. This varied criteria is ridiculous, in my opinion, and, in part, led to the problems we see in the results this year.
Another possible solution is to restrict the names a voter can select from to a pre-approved list of candidates. Thus, unqualified candidates that may not be among the top five hundred players in the world cannot make the Giants list as a result of the votes of large numbers of friends and/or countrymen.
I don't know the answers. I do find the 2015 results a joke in some respects. I totally empathize with the positions of Petko and Neil. Maybe the Giants Committee will do the things necessary to save the institution.
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