Re: singles format opinion

If you recall, Jerry, in AMT2, we used something like what you did 
for lit singles, except that we changed the mixing rate so that it 
starts out large (50%) and goes down to a small number (like 
exchanging only 1 or 2 persons after the last "mixing" round).

I think this is the optimal (probabilistically speaking) strategy for 
getting the highest rated individuals to appear in the final round in 
the shortest amount of time.  Think of it as a simulated annealing 
strategy often used in physics and computer science models.  With the 
strategy I just described, you would get everybody to play on all but 
a possible final round one-on-one playoff, plus we maximize the 
chance that we get the best possible group (given the number of 
rounds) at the final round.  (See the results post for AMT2 where I 
describe this, if you want more details.)

Ray.

--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, grapesmoker <no_reply_at_y...> wrote:
> Looking at the literature singles results today, I saw,
> unsurprisingly, that the tournament was played according to the
> double-elimination format. I'm wondering why precisely this format 
is
> used at singles tournaments when elimination formats aren't used in
> team tournaments at any open, ACF, or NAQT event that I know of. At
> BASQuE, we used the multiple-tier format, which I like because
> everyone gets to play more games. The downside, of course, is that 
you
> have to play against five or six people at once, which dilutes the
> one-on-one appeal of singles events somewhat. Are there other 
formats
> out there that allow more games per player while preserving the
> competitive style of singles tournaments? I'm curious, as I dislike
> elimination formats in general, but do like the one-on-one style,
> which is logistically tough to pull off in a round-robin format (a 
la
> Kidder Cup) because many staffers are required.
> 
> Jerry

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