[blml] Thai braking [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Herman De Wael]

Alain Gottcheiner wrote:
> At 14:36 2/04/2007 +0200, Harald Skjæran wrote:
> 
>>> My main point of contention with the current system of counting is
>>> that it is so terribly complicated! Try and explain this to any
>>> non-bridge player and you'll get big eyes indeed.
> 
> 
> AG : try and explain baseball, cricket or ice skating scoring principles to 
> the person in the street. Forget pelota altogether. No, this isn't the 
> right argument. The only things a scoring method should strive at are 
> fairness and competitive interest.
> 

Last time I saw baseball, the end result was 9 runs against 5. Each 
run was clearly shown. Cricket has only 4 possible scores (real runs, 
4,5,6 from boundaries or penalties) and the end total is just an 
addition (granted, to over 300). Ice skating used to be difficult, but 
they've simplified it and it's now just adding points. Only in bridge 
do we have three different kinds of points: scores, IMPs and VPs. Even 
someone who wants to watch something gets flabbergasted. Let alone a 
total stranger. Imagine a TV reportage where they try to show how Zia 
made a slam. Good TV. and the result? +1430, after which he won the 
match 19-11????? Now if he'd won the match by 1190, that's something 
to tell!

> The first objective says, for example, that the highest the difference in 
> total points, the highest the IMP score on the deal should be.
> The second one is the basic reason for nonlinearity (as in : three 300 
> swings are more than a 900 swing).
> 

Yeah, but now explain that in other terms. 3 swings of bidding a 
non-vulnerable game (+420 iso +170) is better than one swing of 
bidding a vulnerable slam (+1430 iso +680).
=I've changed your numbers because this works out better - I don't 
know something easy that produces a 300 swing=

With 250=6 and 750=13 we could also say:

2 swings of NV game are almost the same as one swing of V slam.

Now if we make the NVgame bonus, say 300 points and the V slam bonus 
650, then we have the same situation, without a need for IMPs conversion.
See what I mean?

> Any other feature of the scoring methods contains subjective elements - and 
> that's why conservativeness is the usual attitude toward their adaptation.
> I'm with Herman on that one : if you somehow succeed in your attempt to 
> have adjustments adopted, it'll take decades (English ones, not French 
> ones) before any other adjustment could be just thought of, so try and cook 
> up something really good at once.
> 

Indeed.

> Best regards
> 
>    Alain
> 


-- 
Herman DE WAEL
Antwerpen Belgium
http://www.hdw.be