Hello all,
 
On January 19th 2002 there will be an open synchro-rand Reversi tournament on GGS;
"open" means anyone can participate (computer or human). The synchro-rand format 
(see below) is however difficult for humans. We will use the Swiss system so most 
games will be between players of similar strengths.
 
Players must be registered on GGS to play; GGS registration is free. I strongly 
suggest anyone wishing to play should try out GGS, and register, in advance of 
the tourmament date.
 
Place: GGS Server (details below)
Start time: 19th January 2002, 3 PM London time 
(Europe - 4 PM CET, US - 10 AM Eastern, 9 AM Central, 8 AM Mountain, 7 AM Pacific)
Time control: 2x15 minutes
Style: Depends on number of participants, but likely 7 round Swiss 
with 3-minute breaks
Start position: 8x8 board, synchro random start position with 20 discs
 
GGS Server:
Windows GUI: http://www.neci.nec.com/homepages/mic/ggs/chris/Lion.zip, 
unzip and select GGS/Connect from the menu.
Java GUI: http://www.neci.nec.com/homepages/mic/ggsa/ggsa.html
Accessible by telnet (external.nj.nec.com port 5000 or 4000)
Programmers: Java and C++ code interfaces are available at 
http://www.neci.nec.com/homepages/mic/mic.html
 
Synchro Rand:
Each "match" between two players consists of two simultaneous Othello games 
which have the same randomly chosen start position; each player is white in 
one game and black in the other. The winner is the player with the largest 
disc total in the two games.
 
This makes it easier for programs to play: no need for opening book, since 
the start position is random; no need to think on the opponent's time, since 
you will be thinking about your other game then. The program just looks at 
the board and returns a move.
 
This makes it harder for humans to play, since you need to keep track of 
separate plans in two games simultaneously.