I'm not sure if these have been mentioned, but here's a few suggestions in terms of what I'd like to dream about happening with the AGA/ Go in general. Let me preface this by saying, I know my ideas are a rough sketch, and I know I probably do not have all the information available to me. I plan to read through the minutes and various AGA documents at work to catch up, but until then, here are a few suggestions. At the very least, it might bring up an interesting discussion:
The first one is because I'm not entirely sure of how much is done between the AGA and other board games' organization. I would like to see if it's possible for the AGA to team up with a chess foundation, and have a dual tourney. You might not have the biggest turnout in comparison, but I think you will likely get more people interested in Go. Especially these people who might have heard about the game, but were not interested in trying it out. If the equipment is brought to them, they might be more likely to try things out. Of course, there's probably quite a bit of man power involved in this, but the Go community is friendly. I would assume many chess players might watch a few games, and even ask to be taught the basic rules. The rest should follow along.
The above can be applied to any type of game. Poker, Bridge, etc. There's really quite a group of players out there who would be interested in a game such a this. I'd say it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to organize a sort of combined effort.
The secondary benefit is that it would most likely be cheaper with a partner than without one.
---
Another suggestion is for the Go Congress. I do not know if it's a viable option at the moment, but I think adding consistency to the Go congress is a positive thing. If anyone knows of PAX(Penny Arcade Expo), then you will see where I am going with this:
Go congress should be at a fixed location. Sure you can have alternating coasts, but in the same sense, it should be a fixed location in these different coasts. Has this been discussed before? I was speaking to someone who told me there are no main coordinators of Go congresses. That type of position, if anyone is willing, would probably needed to be added in. I am thinking of something like one(two?) for the east coast, and one(two?) for the west coast. I would say that as many as is needed. I think a static congress in the long run is a lot better in terms of attendance factors, planning for the attendees, overall price, and the overall cost. It's a lot easier to plan one or two years ahead when you know the location will never change. I would also guess to say that the pricing would be cheaper for both the attendees, and the AGA. When there's a static location, the AGA can book early, and most likely have discounts open to you(the AGA) for booking every other year or so in advance.
As for what locations you can consider, I am not too sure about the pricing for various venues. Maybe AGA members who have researched it can offer concrete suggestions. For the West Coast location, I would say Portland/ Seattle/ somewhere in California. In terms of East Coast, around the Maryland area would be a good place. States like Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, etc. I think overall, these are all close enough to famous destinations that people can plan a vacation around them for their families as well.
Overall, I believe it's a big change, and I'm not entirely sure if it's possible to do in the amount of time you are looking for, but I thought the idea is interesting to get out there. I think overall, it would be beneficial to look at this option. It is available, and I do not believe it would be harmful for the AGA to look at it.
Again, let me reiterate that I am just looking at this as a rough sketch, because I do not know about the numbers, or the immediate goals the AGA plans for Go congress. Mainly, I'm hoping that it will bring about a discussion, either here or in the AGA meetings about this idea.
-edit-
After reading the previous post, It seems I am not the only one who would like to see a change like the above for congress.(uglyboxer, oren, and John Fairbairn also mentioned something similar). Also considering the older posts, I should have taken some time out to clean this up. I hope it doesn't detract from people reading it, but if it does, I understand why.
|
The additional sigma parameter is a large improvement over Elo's original system, improving accuracy.