Re: The Rating of Chess Players, Past and Present, by Arpad Elo reprinted today

On Mon, 12 May 2008 10:30:28 -0400, "Chess One" <OneChess@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:


>(b) do rating ceilings and floors exist withing Elo's system, 

To even ask this question reflects a much deeper lack of
understanding.   Hard to see how a rating system can address
deliberate sandbagging (hence the floors add-on) or cherry-picking
opponents or event manipulation (hence the rarer ceilings).  This
isn't to say that the various tweaks have come close to solving the
problems.

>and
>(c) what alternatives to USCF's 'award' system are there? [see Alekhine's

>Parrot this week at www.chessville.com for a precis of an alternate
system, 
>as declaimed by its originator]

If the CXR ratings gained the same level of usage as USCF or FIDE
ratings, you'd have the same problems with sand-bagging and
manipulation.

A number of us have suggested publicizing and perhaps awarding prizes
for some additional metrics that could piggyback on the existing
rating system:  highest rated opponent defeated, highest tournament
performance rating, etc.  These might well serve as motivators for
participating in rated events.