HI all,

I have a basic question about ELO in backgammon. I know the FIBS formula and I know how it works in the single case but I have a question:

Suppose I know that my "true" rating is 1700 but I've just subscribed on a new site and I start at 1500 rating.

Well, I want to reach as soon as possible my "true rating" and I have to choose ONLY two types of players to play with:

a) around 2000 rating players (suppose they accept istant my challenges).

b) around 1500 rating players.

Please, for simplicity, follow the hypothesis above, and keep the "FIBS system" for the elo variations

Question: What type of player should I challenge if I want to reach asap 1700 elo pints? Does it changes over the long term? And in the short term?

Thanks and merry Xmas.

With the Elo system it makes no difference -- you should reach your true rating just as quickly no matter which opponents you pick.

No 2000 player should be willing to play with you for two reasons:

1. He loses more points when he loses to you than he wins (and if this were chess it would all even out in the long run but it is not chess it is a game of skill with a large luck component).

2. You may be a good player that is new to the on line environment - in other words a 'ringer'.

Completely agree with you. But bots do not care: 2000 rating people is not samurai, but 2000 rating bots are true man, and fight anyone

Get your rating to 2000 and let us know how many players that are at your current rating you play with.

That's not the problem.

In BG, action is really the main issue at least in europe and expecially in Italy.

Why this wonderful game can't reach the same audience as chess or poker? Basically because an enthusiast of the game start studying it, start learn some basics with the major BG engines, and then when one feels ready ( i.e. PR at least 10/11) to play (repeat, I mean in europe and Italy) some human players he/she can't find a decent opponent and a decent actions.

I played chess before moving to BG, and when subscribing on any site like freechess or some other site you can find TONS AND TONS of player at any time any day and willing to play any time control you can immagine.

Now I subscribed to Gridgammon, on FIBS and dailygammon but:

a) Gridgammon: I connect, I find ready less than 10 people, half is 1750+ raiting and don't play with low experience players. 25% is really sick people with 1300 rating or so, and 25% want to play at least 7 point match which take to long for me to end otherwise they play unrated match (lol). Even if you catch a 5-point game or a 3 point game they play and they leave in a shot (sort of hit and runners lol)

b) FIBS: I connect, better action, but too many droppers and they play uber-slow even in standard stuations due either to connection or inexperience, so I have to play the bots. Darn, there are ONLY two types of bots: Too strog (2100+) or too weak (1550) and for me that I am a 1730-50 player can't find a quick game (I love to play 3 point match)

c) dailygammon: action and a lot of players (really tons of players) but... oh wait it's a correspondance site, a turn based site (what do you have against it?). I played a lot of games, reaching easily 1880 elo points (moving almost in blitz mode) but over time it tends to bore, either because it's better real time play and because the field in general it's too soft. I mean, there are some very good players of course, but the vast majority play with an error rate (Snowie) of 14-17 or worse (i.e. real casual players with some experience or at best weak intermediates)

It turns out that in BG you have to play anybody if you want to keep up action, I mean not play the game you don't want, but at least don't reject people only beacuse have low elo or low experience.

Obviously one have to IMMEDIATELY cut off the possibility of dropping the match, introducin' what is COMMON on ANY chess site: forfait on disconnection (obv with 2 minutes to recover it and some more bonus in long matches between people with high experience) and no pity for low experience players and more important the clock and time control Bronstein mode. But BG site have to grow a lot on this side, too much is relied on anybody faith and self control when in tilt mode.

if you don't mind fumbling about Google translate and playing against Russian speaking opposition exclusively go here https://www.gambler.ru/download/

I think the client prompts you if you want English version or not, otherwise you'll have a fun challenge on your hands figuring out the options screen

Once you get a screen name, find BG room and register for autoplay - system will sit you with the available opponent closest to your rating (different rating system, you start with 0 and work your way up)

Games are running 24/7, ~700 ppl online right now

I Will check it out, it seems interesting thanks

That doesn't make sense at all...

If you lose twice as many points against a player as he will lose against you in a lost game, then statistically, you will beat him twice as often.

I've experimented with this before - I'm rated about 1900, and for about three months, I played online only with players within 25 points of me. Then, I started accepting every challenge I got, including players as low as 1400, and played hundreds of games against low rated players.

I won almost all games against the low rated players and my rating has remained exactly the same.

That's just how the rating system works, I guess.

Dailygammon has some very strong players, if you play 21 point matches and get to the second or third rounds, most of the players play at expert level or better.

I completely agree with Bill. People do not understand how Elo ranking works. By definition playing any player give a fair return.

The only thing to consider is that low experience players have a much higher volatility. For instance, if I'd care about my Elo, I'd not play a 1800 Elo player with 100 experience (on GammonSite where you start at 1600). Someone gaining 200 Elo that fast is very likely to be a 1950-2000 Elo player.