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Bill Salot · Post by **Bill Salot** » Sun May 10, 2015 2:07 pm

Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest #22 starting Friday, May 15, 2015.

tgf · Post by **tgf** » Sun May 10, 2015 4:29 pm

Have you put any of my puzzles in?

Bill Salot · Post by **Bill Salot** » Sun May 10, 2015 7:36 pm

Jake,
You haven't submitted any unpublished ones. As soon as you show them on any forum, they are published, and the composer is then known. Knowing who the composer is could influence the judges.
Instead send unpublished problems to me at the address given in the link below.

tgf · Post by **tgf** » Sun May 10, 2015 8:45 pm

Are you saying the judges are prejudicial and cannot be trusted to judge position on its merits?

Alex_Moiseyev · Post by **Alex_Moiseyev** » Sun May 10, 2015 11:42 pm

Bill Salot wrote:Knowing who the composer is could influence the judges.

We had in FMJD Composition Section "incognito" rule. However later (few years ago) it was removed. Judges usually are several (3-5) well experienced, honest people and nothing could influence them!

George Hay · Post by **George Hay** » Mon May 11, 2015 6:30 am

I really believe the best way to judge the contest is to not know who composed the problems. Just as the best way to judge a sound system is a blind test.
IMHO, if the judges were honest with themselves, they would admit the obvious, that knowing who composed the problems will of course influence their decisions.
Besides, it is fun to find out the who composed the problems after the contest!

--George Hay

George Hay · Post by **George Hay** » Mon May 11, 2015 7:24 am

I just want to add that not knowing the vote totals until after you vote helps keep the contest objective, and is another fun feature.

tgf · Post by **tgf** » Mon May 11, 2015 9:06 am

George Hay wrote:I just want to add that not knowing the vote totals until after you vote helps keep the contest objective, and is another fun feature.

I stressed the word "helps" above to make a point - things that help should not take over and become rules. Make your own examples, in checkers and in life.
Here for the purity of a vision perfectly good new compositions are barred from competition. Maybe we should apply the same method to judges, it helps if judges were above suspicion.

George Hay · Post by **George Hay** » Mon May 11, 2015 12:22 pm

Jake, I have voted on every Unofficial World Championship Checker Problem Composing Contest so far. It is fun, but I also take the voting seriously. It just may be that this contest is not for every composer, and not for every potential judge. As I understand the contest rules, and I think I do, no one is barred from submitting an original unpublished checker problem. Most of the time my vote is close, and I usually forget the problem I voted for over time. I hope to to remember something of the logic and the clockwork precision the composers "Uncovered" in the checker problems.

--George Hay

tgf · Post by **tgf** » Mon May 11, 2015 12:38 pm

There is a site called MIF http://minietiud.forum2x2.ru/f10-forum filled with checkers composers (including Alex Moiseyev), they post their creations daily, and they talk and discuss rules vigorously. There are always announcements of more compositions tournaments. In fact they have an official annual schedule.
From what I understand some tournaments do require unpublished compositions. Other compositions have something like a year to participate after publishing.
Since the composers share their ideas others pick them up to make better/different versions, often such compositions have dual names.
What I am trying to say is that there is room for new ideas.

champion374 · Post by **champion374** » Mon May 11, 2015 3:54 pm

i cant understand that site. no english?

tgf · Post by **tgf** » Mon May 11, 2015 4:02 pm

Sorry, it is in Russian. Their parent organization CPI (Committee Problemism International) http://cpi.fmjd.org/ is for the 10x10 board though on MIF they also practice Russian checkers 8x8. Alext Moiseyev is an GMI in composition and a Vice-Champion of the World. How he is able to mix this with Straight Checkers is a mystery.

Alex_Moiseyev · Post by **Alex_Moiseyev** » Mon May 11, 2015 5:12 pm

tgf wrote:How he is able to mix this with Straight Checkers is a mystery.

It is also mystery for me as well

Bill Salot · Post by **Bill Salot** » Tue May 12, 2015 5:45 pm

Jake favors changing the rules; George does not.
Are there any others out there who support either of their opinions?
I suspect the vast majority don't care one way or the other.
Perhaps the activation of Contest #22 on Friday will influence someone.

Alex_Moiseyev · Post by **Alex_Moiseyev** » Tue May 12, 2015 5:54 pm

Bill Salot wrote:Jake favors changing the rules; George does not. Are there any others out there who support either of their opinions?

Bill, I support "incognito" rule ... so - no changes for your contests. It's not only honesty question, but for judges sometimes is very hard to stay away of name influence.

The American Checker Federation

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