So, which day do the yusho winners lose?

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

It's one thing I know all you (both) extreme trivia junkies out there have been dying to know, and that is which days the yusho winners most often get their losses. Since those who win the yusho are most of the times ranked high, they also have the toughest matches in the end, and as expected that's where the losses amount. Here is the list for the 301 basho since the fifteen-day basho came back in May of 1949:

[Manekineko 200]

After drawing a nice bar-chart, another minor anomaly became obvious: day 4, with 28 losses, leads by 4 among the first 11 days. Day 12 is the first to equal that, and with it starts a steady climb of losses caused by Ozeki-Yokozuna maches.

Another important point: day 4 is a wendesday. (Hehe...)

[Kintamayama 45,111]

After drawing a nice bar-chart, another minor anomaly became obvious: day 4, with 28 losses, leads by 4 among the first 11 days. Day 12 is the first to equal that, and with it starts a steady climb of losses caused by Ozeki-Yokozuna maches.

Another important point: day 4 is a wendesday. (Hehe...)

Except day 8 of course, with its 34..

[Hoshifransu 0]

Very interesting statistics. 34 on day 8 is a really amazing peak ! 28 on day 4 is very amazing too ... The withdrawals statistics could be very interesting to know too, because they could perhaps explain these peaks on day 4 and day 8 ? Or not ?

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

I'm certainly no statistician but aren't these numbers still too small to give an accurate picture about this phenomenon? Much like claims about Grand Prix driver A being too harsh on his car since his team mate B had a mechanical retirement only twice compared to A's four times during a season.

A stupid analogy follows. I downloaded ESP Test 3.0 to check whether I am a psych(ot)ic. First few series revealed I'm a Houdini reborn. Likelihood of such good results was 1/25. Then the law of averages kicked in and after enough guesses it turned out my ESP (extra-sensory perception) capabilities are non-existent. I guess either the programmer fooled me first to think I could be into something only to drop me down later or then it was a case of statistical anomaly right in the beginning that was bound to level out with enough data.

That's something I think would happen here as well when the numbers grow large enough. Nakabi and possibly shonichi might stand slightly above other days between, say, 1-12. The last three days are in any case the hardest for the yokozuna and less so for the ozeki who are the most likely ones to become the yusho winners.

[Manekineko 200]

I downloaded ESP Test 3.0 to check whether I am a psych(ot)ic.

Of course, having far too much work to do, I promptly downloaded this lil' program and tried it. And uninstalled it soon afterwards, too, but that's not the point.

The point... what was the point? Ah.

The point is, weren't these cards invented to test 'mind-reading' abilities, ie. the tester concentates on the card and the testee then feels the tester's brain-waves (or aura, or energy, or whatever) and thus gets the answer. Although I love my PC very much, I don't believe it has either brain-waves or aura...

Not that I have the faintest idea how ESP works and what ESP tests test. I failed to predict Taka's miraculous return, I have consistently iffy hoshitori results, and I don't even wanna try GTB from fear of utterly humiliating myself. I do manage to guess things that I'm completely uninterested in, like the final result of current boring football game or the sea temperature in Dubrovnik today (25$B!k(BC, would you believe it?), but the minute I do it for fun or profit, all my abilities leave me.

Pardon the ramble, but I'm writing my thesis, and I needed a mindless break. Back to work...

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

The point is, weren't these cards invented to test 'mind-reading' abilities, ie. the tester concentates on the card and the testee then feels the tester's brain-waves (or aura, or energy, or whatever) and thus gets the answer. Although I love my PC very much, I don't believe it has either brain-waves or aura...

(...)

I do manage to guess things that I'm completely uninterested in, like the final result of current boring football game or the sea temperature in Dubrovnik today (25$B!k(BC, would you believe it?), but the minute I do it for fun or profit, all my abilities leave me.

Pardon the ramble, but I'm writing my thesis, and I needed a mindless break. Back to work...

Yes, Zener cards were originally created for that purpose but it seems they are nowadays used also to create the randomness factor between humans and inanimate objects. You might want to try out an online Zener test.

I got 6/25 from that test which by itself means nothing. Only if I consistently get six correct instead of five which is the expected result, I could be forgiven for calling myself a some sort of medium. :-P

Interestingly enough, I tend to get more correct guesses in the beginning of the series (4/7 in the test above) and also in the end (2/3). It's the middle part I often get less hits than I should. I might be imagining this, of course.

Anyway, I've understood there's faint statistical proof available that would suggest to the possibility of slight ESP on some people. This - of course - comes from a guy who follows cryptozoological issues.

There are no boring football matches.

I need to write a thesis as well. I've had plenty of breaks already. I digress... (Unhappy...)

[Kintamayama 45,111]

I don't even wanna try GTB from fear of utterly humiliating myself.

Oh, but you see, the GTB is not guesswork-it's called guess the banzuke, but there are things to know in order to be better, and there are players who have consistently been good over the years, so that pretty much rules out dumb luck.you don't play against anyone, injuries are not a factor, etc.. You do need some degree of luck, but I'd say it's a large amount of knowledge, even compared to all the major games. For sure!!

Awaiting your entry!!

[Manekineko 200]

I don't even wanna try GTB from fear of utterly humiliating myself.

Oh, but you see, the GTB is not guesswork [...]

Awaiting your entry!!

I know it isn't. It's science, of sorts. But as such it requires time and energy devoted to the study of it... It is one of the games I consider playing every basho, and then decide that I don't have time (n)or energy. Maybe next time. :-P