Re(3): Battle Court Update thru 4/4/25 Posted on April 6, 2025 at 02:06:57 PM by Craig G
Well, with my chess background, I am keenly aware of the incidence of draws. (ties)
Classical Time Control (GM Tournaments): ~60–70% of games end in draws.
In the 2023 Candidates Tournament, 70% of games were drawn.
At the 2021 World Championship (Carlsen vs. Nepomniachtchi), 14/18 games (78%) were draws.
Meanwhile, based on what the AI's dragged in, it's clear fans aren't big on ties, and the trend in major sports is to reduce them.
However, I'm not up to speed on BC, so I wondered if the ties were an unintended consequence, with possibly an easy fix, or maybe deliberate and / or difficult to avoid.
But I see your point that the need to escape a tie could be dramatic in its own right. Not only that, but in some cases a tie is the most legitimate outcome, and the tiebreaks forcing the issue are giving too much weight to randomness.
BTW & FWIW, I was happy to hear Benny B give his opinion on disliking a 5-pt tiebreak for partidos. I have always argued that, even to the point of proving their dubious nature via simulation.
And while I'm at it, respect to MC for having a full 3rd set in their BC matches. That is a great design, IMO.
Tiger's Jai-Alai Chalk Talk
