On Apr 6, 1:06 am, "David Kane" <davidek...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Both the USCF and FIDE rating systems have elements not
> anticipated by Elo. Both essentially use the Elo algorithm and
> are Elo systems.
>
> The USCF is further from Elo than FIDE largely because it has a more
> difficult population to cover. Being different from Elo is not a bad
> thing. Although people can and do quibble over details in the way
> organizations do ratings (I am one of these people, BTW), no one
> could reasonably claim that Elo rating was the ultimate in ratings.
>
> From what I can tell, the Elo system was not wildly different
> from the Harkness system and there is nothing to Sloan's
> fabrication that Elo is specifically designed for OTB chess
> rather than correspondence chess. The Harkness tables are
> different in detail from the Elo versions. Does anyone know the
> logical basis of the Harkness tables, or what statistical
> problems Harkness ratings had? It may be in Elo's book but
> it has been a while since I've read it.
I suggest that you buy my book, "The Blue Book and Encyclopedia of
Chess" by Kenneth Harkness, because it contains a complete and
detailed explanation of the Harkness Rating System.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891927
Sam Sloan
