Difference between revisions of "Generalist"
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| − | <onlyinclude>A '''generalist''' is a player whose knowledge extends to | + | <onlyinclude>A '''generalist''' is a player whose knowledge extends to most of the distribution, and thus is capable of buzzing on a wide variety of subjects. Good generalists are often among the scoring leaders at invitational tournaments and tend to be captains of their teams.</onlyinclude> |
| − | A '''surface generalist''' has a good command of [[giveaway|giveaways]] and | + | A '''surface generalist''' has a good command of [[giveaway|giveaways]], binary matching, and easy clues (sometimes called "FTP merchants"), leading to high individual scores, without any deep knowledge on any subject. The surface generalist approach, popular among many high school players, doesn't always extend well to the college game. However, surface generalists can still be relatively successful against weaker fields. |
| − | The more common approach to becoming a generalist at the college level involves acquiring depth in one or two topics, then branching out into other areas. | + | The more common approach to becoming a generalist at the college level involves acquiring depth in one or two topics, then branching out into other areas. In strong fields with strong teammates, these players have the advantage of being able to [[scale]], "turtling" around their categories while occasionally striking outside of their knowledge base. |
A third type of generalist, best exemplified by [[Matt Weiner]], has decent-to-good depth on a wide variety of subjects, but is not considered dominant on any given subject. | A third type of generalist, best exemplified by [[Matt Weiner]], has decent-to-good depth on a wide variety of subjects, but is not considered dominant on any given subject. | ||
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The distinction between generalist and [[specialist]] isn't well established. Some generalists tend to have specialist-level knowledge in their areas while being able to consistently buzz on the last few clues of most other categories, for example. | The distinction between generalist and [[specialist]] isn't well established. Some generalists tend to have specialist-level knowledge in their areas while being able to consistently buzz on the last few clues of most other categories, for example. | ||
| − | == | + | == Supergeneralists == |
| − | + | The term '''supergeneralist''' is commonly-used but poorly-defined, but generally refers to the very best generalists who are threats across the entire distribution at their peak. Depending on who is asked, people with this designation include: | |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Matt Bollinger]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Jordan Brownstein]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Matt Jackson]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Andrew Yaphe]] |
| − | *[[Seth | + | *[[Seth Teitler]] |
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*[[Eric Mukherjee]] | *[[Eric Mukherjee]] | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Matthew Lehmann]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Jacob Reed]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Will Alston]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Jakob Meyers]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Itamar Naveh-Benjamin]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Amogh Kulkarni]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Arya Karthik]] |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | Of these, Bollinger, Brownstein, Jackson, and Yaphe are completely uncontroversial, given their status as the best players of all time. | |
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[[Category: Quizbowl lingo]] | [[Category: Quizbowl lingo]] | ||
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Revision as of 18:12, 5 March 2025
A generalist is a player whose knowledge extends to most of the distribution, and thus is capable of buzzing on a wide variety of subjects. Good generalists are often among the scoring leaders at invitational tournaments and tend to be captains of their teams.
A surface generalist has a good command of giveaways, binary matching, and easy clues (sometimes called "FTP merchants"), leading to high individual scores, without any deep knowledge on any subject. The surface generalist approach, popular among many high school players, doesn't always extend well to the college game. However, surface generalists can still be relatively successful against weaker fields.
The more common approach to becoming a generalist at the college level involves acquiring depth in one or two topics, then branching out into other areas. In strong fields with strong teammates, these players have the advantage of being able to scale, "turtling" around their categories while occasionally striking outside of their knowledge base.
A third type of generalist, best exemplified by Matt Weiner, has decent-to-good depth on a wide variety of subjects, but is not considered dominant on any given subject.
The distinction between generalist and specialist isn't well established. Some generalists tend to have specialist-level knowledge in their areas while being able to consistently buzz on the last few clues of most other categories, for example.
Supergeneralists
The term supergeneralist is commonly-used but poorly-defined, but generally refers to the very best generalists who are threats across the entire distribution at their peak. Depending on who is asked, people with this designation include:
- Matt Bollinger
- Jordan Brownstein
- Matt Jackson
- Andrew Yaphe
- Seth Teitler
- Eric Mukherjee
- Matthew Lehmann
- Jacob Reed
- Will Alston
- Jakob Meyers
- Itamar Naveh-Benjamin
- Amogh Kulkarni
- Arya Karthik
Of these, Bollinger, Brownstein, Jackson, and Yaphe are completely uncontroversial, given their status as the best players of all time.