Nakamura is new U.S. Champion
CXR players were much in evidence at the United States Chess
Championship Tournament in San Diego, which took place from
November 23rd to December 5th. After the last round,
Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Alex Stripunsky -- the two
top-rated players in the CXR system -- were tied for first! It
took a couple of playoff games at game/25 to decide the title,
and 16 year old Hakaru Nakamura is our new Champ! The new
Women's Champion is Rusudan Goletiani, also a CXR member!
Congratulations also to CXR member Salvijus Bercys, who achieved
his IM norm.
PHOTO: (from left to right) Erik Anderson, president of American
Foundation For Chess; GM Hikaru Nakamura; WGM Rusudan Goletiani.
PROJECT ORANGE
One of the biggest problems affecting chess ratings is the
thorny issue of where to set the initial rating of young and
inexperienced chess players. It is common practice among
"Scholastic Chess" organizations to set initial ratings very
low, to reflect the nearly total lack of chess knowledge and
skill that is typical of absolute beginners. This would seem
like a logical move, but the effect on global ratings is massive
deflation. When many scholastic organizations are assigning
initial ratings under 500 (e.g. 400 for 4th graders, 100 for 1st
graders), we are headed for a ratings meltdown!
After a year in such a scholastic chess program, some of the
children's ratings will have risen, some will have fallen; but
the average rating of the group remains the same as when they
started. The same kids who started out knowing nothing about
chess, now have a significant grasp of the game, more typical of
players rated several hundred points higher. When these
under-rated students begin to play in tournaments where they
encounter adult players, they unfairly siphon off rating points
from veteran players. The effect percolates upward throughout
the pool of rated players.
Chess Express Ratings (CXR) has been working for over a year
on logical approach which solves the problem of
scholastic-driven rating deflation. Called "Project Orange", our
solution attacks the problem from several angles. It also
recognizes the need for some kind of standard benchmarks against
which to measure chess knowledge. In consultation with a number
of chess educators, we are focusing on ways to maintain a high
correlation between improving performance and increasing
ratings. In particular, one of the principal goals is that by
the end of a scholastic chess program with a sufficient number
of games played, the average rating of a group of students will
rise, reflecting the students' higher level of understanding and
skill. Our solution will be nothing short of "revolutionary",
and is certain to raise the hackles of dyed-in-the-wool bean
counters. Nevertheless, we are not afraid of doing revolutionary
things, so long as each step is mathematically sound and treats
both new and old players equitably. Details of the program will
be released over the coming months. We expect to begin rolling
out the initial version -- "Orange Light" -- quite soon.
