RE: [Bug-gnubg] miscellaneous bugs and suggestions

[Douglas Zare]

Quoting David Montgomery <address@hidden>:

> > So the ordering is
> > 
> > (0) - (1) - (2) - intermediate - advanced - export - world class - ET
> > 
> > where
> > 
> > (0) "pseudo-random play", "awful!", "interesting"

While random play may produce an error rating of 60 millipoints per move, 
according to Walter Trice, I don't think this describes what is likely to have 
happened to garner such an error rate.  Indeed, random play makes huge errors, 
and then has no more equity to give up for a while, and then might or might not 
grant the opponent a backgammon. What happens to people is that they might 
blunder in a short game, e.g., by passing a 0.7 take after a few moves (IIRC, 
Svobo passed a 0.3 take in a tournament match against Denis Jersov). Another 
possibility is to overlook a play. I watched one of the strongest players in 
the world pass up escaping a prime and completing a closeout, instead crunching 
his board. This astounding play cost 1.500 times the 2-cube, and his error rate 
according to Snowie was 60 for the game. Most of his moves that game were fine.

I'd be inclined to call this, "Overlooked a play?" if it came from a checker 
play error.

> > (1) "beginner", "novice" (outsider: "rookie", "amateur")
> > (2) "basic", "student"
> 
> I don't care for "student" for a level below intermediate.
> It's common to hear someone described as a "student of the game",
> and such players are usually at least strong intermediates.

Indeed, I would call myself a student of the game, because I study it, rather 
than just play it. 

> "Amateur" also doesn't have the right meaning to me.  
> Said with the right tone "amateur" can indicate a low
> level of play, but to me the primary meaning is 
> non-professional, which is almost everyone who plays 
> backgammon, including most experts.

The Olympics used to be restricted to amateurs, but of course the performance 
levels there are anything but amateurish. 

> I like everything else, including the "outsider" rookie.

Rookie mainly denotes experience level to me. Many athletes have great rookie 
years. 

How about "misclicked -- casual player -- best of the basement -- kibitzer -- 
tournament player -- club champ -- regional champion -- guru?"

Douglas Zare