Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A simple proposal to reduse draws

Since it is much more difficlut to win, or draw, with Black, I propose awarding 4 points for a win with Black; 3 for a win with White; 2 for a draw with Black; and 1 for a draw with White.
The three move draws and 'group hugs' in the last round would become a thing of the past! What possible reason could there be for offering a short draw with White if by doing so you give your opponent an extra point? It would, therefore, increase the need to FIGHT!
My proposal is especially good for the traditional five round swiss, which is inherently unfair in that one player will always receive an extra Black. This proposal will help to offset the advantage of the player receiving three Whites, as the player with Black in the last round will have the possibility of out-scoring his opponent.
As an example, take the current Russian Superfinal. Heading into the penultimate round, the traditional standings look like this:
Alekseev 6
Timofeev 6
Jakovenko 5 1/2
Vitiugov 5 1/2
Svidler 5 1/2
Morozevich 5

Under my proposal, the standings would look like this:
Alekseev 20
Timofeev 19
Jakovenko 19
Vitiugov 17
Svidler 17
Morozevich 17

This being a twelve player event means the color distribution will be uneven for the players. At least this way the players receiving the extra Black will have a chance to make up for it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Intriguing idea. It certainly shifts the game in the direction you desire; I wonder if it is not over balanced in favor of black?

Did you come up with the idea out of whole cloth or has it been used in other sports? If so, how did it work out in those?

Chas Gowing