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What is the best (fairest and most efficient) way to tie-break 4 player round robins?

Posted By: sebalotek
Date: Friday, 23 September 2016, at 5:54 a.m.

In Response To: What is the best (fairest and most efficient) way to tie-break 4 player round robins? (Colin Owen)

I agree with Timothy: "There isn't any perfect tie-break system." I was not claiming that the 'score difference' system was any different. However, I do think it is a straight-forward tool that is *mostly* fit for purpose.

I'll try reiterating my position: if it were in a tournament setting, I would definitely be in favour of on the spot head-to-heads of the longest practical length to decide tie-breaks.

Unfortunately, this is not alaways convenient for a league format that meets fortnightly and where people have limited backgammon time as well as external 'life obligations'.

BR >> Score comparisons and differentials are meaningless in serious backgammon. CO >> And at least there is no pretence that one or the other has somehow done better.

Meaningless? Pretence? ...really??

Intuitively, I wouldn't go as far as to say score differences are 'meaningless' at all. I believe that with substantial frequency they can be useful for indicating who the better player was over a series of matches.

**I believe there is a strong correlation between the skill gap of two players and the resultant score difference between them over a series of matches**

In order to show this relationship, I got XG to play itself over a series of 11 point matches with different skill settings.

I predicted to myself that if you pit an XG rated 'Extremegammon' player against an XG rated 'Distracted' player (large difference in skill) over a series of matches, the resulting score difference would be large.

Then if you subsequently pit an XG rated 'Extremegammon' player against an XG rated 'Intermediate' player (medium difference in skill) over a series of matches, the resulting score difference would be smaller.

Finally, if you pit an XG rated 'Extremegammon' player against an XG rated 'Extremegammon' player (little or no difference in skill) over a series of matches, the resulting score difference would be the smallest.

On completion of this simple experiment: surprise, surprise, there did indeed seem to be some relationship..

'Extremegammon' vs 'Distracted' = 33 - 2 = a 31 point score difference 'Extremegammon' vs 'Intermediate' = 33 - 6 = a 27 point score difference 'Extremegammon' vs 'Extremegammon' = 26 - 20 = a 6 point score difference

Admittedly the sample size was small - 3 x 11 point matches at each pair of settings but I am pretty sure that continuation of this experiment over time would return even more correlating results.

I swear I did not tamper with or be selective with these reported scores. The test cycle of 9 matches was run once and once only.

I urge you to run a series of these tests for yourself if you still truly believe that any relationship between skill difference and score difference over time / matches is just 'pretence'. Please don't forget to come back and tell us your results..

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