AGazine, January 2013

One of the founders of AGLOA and Board member Jim Davis from Pittsburgh, PA, underwent an operation in December for removal of a brain tumor. While doctors believe they removed the entire tumor, Jim is undergoing cancer treatment just to be sure. All of AGLOA’s thoughts and prayers are with Jim and his family.

Events across the AGLOA leagues during the next month:

• Jan. 18: Jefferson Parish Mid/Jr/Sr Equations Tournament
• Jan. 19: NOAGL Presidents Tournament – All Divisions @ University of New Orleans
• Jan. 22: Martin County (FL) World Events & Presidents Rounds 3, 4 & 5 (El/Mid only)
  PBAGL Social Studies Tournament Round 1 [CE – 7 questions; Pres – 10 (25-34)]
• Jan. 26: MACS Tournament I, Charlotte
  Michigan Leagues of Academic Games Super Tournament Registration Fees Due
• Jan. 29: Martin County World Events & Presidents Rounds 6, 7 & 8 (El/Mid only)
  PBAGL Social Studies Tournament Round 2 [CE – 7 questions; Pres – 10 (35-44)]
• Jan. 30: Indian River County (FL) LinguiSHTIK Tournament I
• Jan. 31: Beaver County (PA) World Events Tournament @ Ambridge Area High School
• Feb. 2: MACS Tournament II, Charlotte
  MLAG Region A Tournament @ Cass Technical HS, Detroit
• Feb. 5: PBAGL Social Studies Tournament Round 3 [CE – 8 questions; Theme – 18 Lightning Round questions] @John Leonard High
• Feb. 6: Indian River County LinguiSHTIK Tournament II
• Feb. 7: WPAGL LinguiSHTIK Tournament @ Soldiers & Sailors
• Feb. 9: MLAG Regional Tournaments
  Region B @ Crockett HS, Detroit
  Region C @ Detroit Edison Academy
  Region D @ Bradford Academy, Southfield
  Region E @ Carstens Elementary School, Detroit
  Region F @ Grand Rapids
• Feb. 12: PBAGL Social Studies Tournament Round 4 [Theme – 18 Lightning Round Questions]
  Beaver County (PA) LinguiSHTIK Tournament
• Feb. 13: Indian River Country LinguiSHTIK Tournament III
• Feb. 14: RESA II Regional Tournament @ Cabell County Board of Education: Ling, EQ, Prop, Pres, WE

If your league’s events are not listed, please send us your schedule.

Nationals Qualifying Rules – IV

The AGLOA Board has asked leagues to submit their rules—all within the AGLOA guidelines—for determining their Nationals qualifiers. Over the course of this tournament year, we will share their procedures with you. You can compare your league’s rules to others.

New Orleans Academic Games League

The league plays four games:

1. Propaganda – four rounds (one for each section) in two sessions a week apart
2. On-Sets – four rounds across three weekday afternoons, with the middle session being a doubleheader
3. Presidents – two rounds in a one-day session, with half of the presidents played in a round
4. Equations – same format as On-Sets

For Nationals qualifying, players’ scores in the two reading games are adjusted by multiplying by a factor that makes the highest score in the division equal to 24, which is the maximum score for four rounds of a cube game.

To qualify for Nationals, a player must play at least three of the games (one of which must be Equations). If a player participates in all four, his/her lowest score is dropped for Nationals qualifying.

After the last game, players in each division are ranked according to their Nationals scores. If the league may send, say, 15 from the division to the national tournament based on AGLOA qualifying rules, then the top 15 are invited to attend. All NOAGL participants play all four games in teams of five at the national tournament.

Return of WFF’N Proof

For the first time ever, the ancestor of all the academic games, WFF’N Proof, will be played at the AGLOA National Tournament in Charlotte, NC. The game was played at the tournaments of the National Academic Games Project from the beginning in 1966.

Two rounds will be played on Friday night, April 26, from 9 – 10:30 p.m.. The remaining two rounds will be played Saturday night from 8:45 – 10:15 p.m. Only team competition will take place.

Down Memory Lane

The Mathematics Rules Committee met at the 1974 National Academic Games Olympics at Kent State University in northern Ohio. The summary of the meeting included these points:

We decided to abolish blunders. A player who violates an Adventurous rule [variation] but doesn’t flub has committed illegal procedure. There is no penalty – he just must make a legal move instead. If the next player moves, the illegal move stands.

It was also decided to specify that parentheses in Solutions must be in writing.

The rule in the green book [Equations manual in the game kit] says, “If a Goal is ambiguous, then a Solution must satisfy at least one interpretation of the Goal.” This leaves open whether the Solution builder needs to specify which interpretation of the Goal.