From: bralick@asm.cs.psu.edu (Will Bralick)
Subject: Re: Mandatory human-computer tournament play (was Re: US Open)
Organization: Self-similar
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 15:11:44 GMT

In article <SCHILLER.92Aug13181249@tira.uchicago.edu> schiller@tira.uchicago.edu (Eric Schiller) writes:
| How difficult it is to get people to understand the problem!
| 
| It has nothing to do with "convenience to the organizers".

We'll see that it does.

| It has to do with prize distribution and pairings.

Please correct me if I am mistaken, but it seems that ``pairings'' (especially)
and ``prize distribution'' do affect the ``convenience to the organizers.''  But
there is more.

| The suggestion of splitting off computers into a class with
| willing humans is no more than suggesting that an organizer
| hold two events, one under the new rules with mandatory play
| and one with no computers allowed. Would you force organizers
| to do both?

Yes.  Now explain again how this has nothing to do with the ``convenience to the
organizers.''  :-)  If they want computers to play in their tournament then as 
long as USCF is going to _force_ a mode of accomodation on the chess-playing
public then the organizers who choose to include computers should be _forced_
to do so in a way which best accomodates the rightful aspirations of many of
the human chessplayers.

This is done for class sections already isn't it?  The under-1800 section is 
run ``as a separate event'' from the under-1500 section, so we add just one
more ``separate event'' -- the computer section.  Note that the most affected
tournaments are the single section tournament (e.g. a weekend swiss) that
allows computers.  This tournament will now have to support twice the number
of sections -- C and NC.  Any tournament with more than a single section will
be marginally less immpacted.

| The objection is to the existence of tournaments which allow
| computers to play but do not require humans to play against them.

I don't object to such tournaments.  I have provided a method for conducting such 
tournaments which meets your (original) objections, viz that pairings and prize 
distribution gets balled up.  With this suggestion ratings and prize distribution
in the two sections are handled as is the common practice today without requiring
anybody to play against a computer _AND_ humans who choose not to play computers
don't have to. 
 
| In one case brought to my attention, there were 4 computers of
| varying strengths playing in a 20 player swiss, where many of
| the participants, especially the stronger ones, refused to
| play the computers. The result was that the computers received
| very artificial pairings, and so did some of the humans. Screwed
| up the tournament for everyone.

So under my suggestion the 4 computers and all who wanted to play them could
form a section and the others (especially the stronger ones) can form one section
and the tournament could proceed without any ``artificial pairings'' for machines
or people.  Class prizes could be distributed in each of the sections according 
to the entries in each of them.  Frankly, I don't care if a computer ever gets
to play against a ``strong'' human opponent -- I certainly wouldn't _require_ it.
 
| Let me reiterate: allowing right of refusal will not cause
| problems for a competent TD, who will just pair according to the rules and
| avoid certain pairings involving the computers. The problems will
| be for the human participants, who will receive artificail 
| pairings which can GREATLY affect the distrivbution of class
| prizes.

We are left with the USCF forcing people to play against computers for ``their 
own good,'' I suppose.  Thanks, but no thanks.

| I would prefer to ban both computers and class prizes, but 
| the votes never go my way...

Well, we agree on one point.  I would prefer an outright ban on computers in
USCF events.


Regards,

-- 
Will                                  |  If we desire to defeat the enemy,
        bralick@cs.psu.edu            |  we must proportion our efforts to 
                                      |  his powers of resistance.
with disclaimer;  use disclaimer;     |               - Carl von Clauswitz