A Generalized Bradley-Terry Model: From Group Competition to Individual Skill

Tzu-Kuo Huang, Chih-Jen Lin, Ruby C. Weng

Abstract: The Bradley-Terry model for paired comparison has been popular in many areas. We propose a generalized version in which paired individual comparisons are extended to paired team comparisons. We introduce a simple algorithm with convergence proofs to solve the model and obtain individual skill. A useful application to multi-class probability estimates using error-correcting codes is demonstrated.