Lighter sentence for David Radler suggests he played the Prisoner's Dilemma better than Conrad Black

Prior to the trial of Conrad Black, I wrote an article noting how his long-time business partner's actions made sense to anyone familiar with the mathematical game called  the Prisoner's Dilemma.

If two men are caught robbing a bank, they each face a choice. Do they remain silent or do they rat on their partner?

The game was invented by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher in 1950, and has attracted the interest of many mathematicians, including Nobel Prize winner John Nash.

The optimal strategy, according to most, is for both partners to confess. That's because if only one confesses, the other is likely to receive a much heavier sentence.

However, if both remain silent, they will each face the lightest penalties. The chances are not always great that this will happen.

David Radler, a former publisher of the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers,  appears to have played the game well in his dealings with U.S. prosecutors.

As a result of Judge Amy St. Eve's ruling today, Radler  will  received 29 months in jail, and will be eligible for day parole after one-sixth of his sentence.

His long-time business partner Black, on the other hand, received 78 months in prison for committing the same crimes after repeatedly professing his innocence. Black, who is appealing his four convictions,  will not  be eligible for parole until he serves 85 percent of his sentence in a U.S. jail.

Three other defendants, former Hollinger executives Peter Atkinson (24 months),  Jack Boutbee (27 months),  and Mark Kipnis (6 months house arrest and 275 hours of community service),  received lighter sentences than both Radler and Black.

Radler and Black were seen as the architects of the scheme to divert Hollinger International shareholders' money to companies in which they held a greater stake.