The Tideman algorithm (Ranked Pairs), invented by Nicolaus Tideman in 1987, answers this by saying: Lock in the strongest landslides first, skip any result that would create a cycle. Imagine a tournament. Candidate A beats B by 52% to 48% (a narrow win). Candidate C beats A by 80% to 20% (a landslide). Tideman argues that the landslide should have more weight in determining the winner than the squeaker.
Its deep insight is that — a landslide should outweigh a squeaker in resolving circular ties, but never override a direct pairwise majority. This balance between strength and directness makes Tideman one of the most intellectually satisfying voting algorithms ever devised.
(strength of victory): [ \textmargin(a, b) = P[a][b] - P[b][a] ] If ( \textmargin(a, b) > 0 ), then ( a ) beats ( b ).