Please distribute the prizes in the following small event: One section, Open
Prize Fund:
1st Place $32
Class B $20
Class C $20
Class D/E $20
Wallchart/Scores:
Class B
Class C
3. 1584 2-2
4. 1575 3-1
5. 1541 2-2
Class D/E
6. 1322 2.5-1.5
7. 1114 1-3
8. 830 0-4
two-way tie for first at 3-1 between a B and C player
???
This looks like the TD test…
1st and C - $32 + $20 = $52 / 2 = $27
1707 & 1575 = $27 / each
1688 gets the Class B Prize
D/E goes to the 1144
The way I understand it from the past tournament is that when you have specific class prizes, no one is eligible for those prizes, unless in this case.
try again, tc! you would award D/E to the player scoring only 1 point (1114) when there’s a 2.5 (1322) point player there?
Yea, that’s what I meant. Now hurry up and read your email, I need some email addresses from you 
First off, thunderchicken, half of 52 is not $27
Second of all, it is obvious that the top two winners should get the first prize and then one of the class prizes. They are eligible for B & C, but which prize moves up? Which ever you move up creates an unfair situation for someone else. The way around this trouble is to move 50% of each of those prizes to the top. That way 1st place tie winners each get $26, and B and C leftover winners each get $10, what is left from their fund…D/E prize is normal.
This is by far the most equitable solution even if not covered per se by the rule book.
Ben Bentrup
In this case, the other B player gets $10, and both the remaining C players get $5 each.
Ben
If the prizes had been labeled “U1800” and “U1600” instead of “B” and “C,” you might have a point. Under means under, but a C-player is not eligible for a Class B prize any more than the reverse. The two top scores split the two largest prizes they are eligible for, unless the class player would get more by taking his class prize only (not the case here).
1707 $26 B 3-1
1575 $26 C 3-1
1688 0 2.5-1.5
1584 $10 C 2-2
1541 $10 C 2-2
1322 $20 D 2.5-1.5
This prize distribution problem does not seem to be clearly covered by the rulebook. From the rules, players 1707 and 1575 must split 2 prizes:
1st place
B Class or C Class
When given a choice as to what prize to “bring up” into a place/class tie, I think it is always best to bring up the higher place prize.
Player 1688 does not have any argument to getting a prize. A player in his class finished above him in the final standings, so therefore he is not eligible for that prize.
Tom Ewers
email addresses sent! and that wasn’t your only error - try again 
No. This is covered in 33C. “There is a difference between a Class A prize and an Under 2000 prize, since only a Class A player may win the former, while a Class A, B, C, D, or E player can qualify for the latter.” Most of the time it makes no difference, but failure to make this distinction can lead to aome very unpleasant disputes.
Your’s is the correct answer, WT, and for the right reason (bring up the highest ratings-based “class” prize to be summed and equally divided amongst the tied players!)
The relevant rules are: 32B2, though this one doesn’t clearly describe which class prizes go in.
32B4 is a bit clearer, where it states “… A player who is eligible for more than one class prize of an identical amount shall receive the prize for the highest class involved”. It’s not clear to me whether this is meant to cover UNDER prizes (like u1800, u1600, etc.) or if it was meant to include this type of situation. But this is one of the rules I use to justify the distribution.
Also, 32B1 would be the clear relevant rule where it says “… A clear winner of more than one prize must be awarded the most valuable prize”. I consider the higher rating class to be the more “valuable” prize.
I suppose the way to get around this problem is to make each class prize a different amount, even if by $1, such as: Class A 25, Class B 24, Class C 23, etc.
I agree with this part of your argument – when there is a choice of pooling a place prize or a class prize (of equal amounts), the place prize is "higher.’ This would also apply to an U1800 versus U1600 prize. As I stated above, however, it does not apply to a pure class prize – players in a lower class are not eligible for the higher class (33C).
John,
You seem to disagree with this prize distribution. But you didn’t indicate how it should be.
Clearly, a class prize must be brought up with 1st place. Are you suggesting that it be 1st and C? And if so, according to your quote "players in a lower class are not eligible for the higher class ", how would you justify the reverse case of allowing the class B player to share part of Class C?
How do you prefer to distribute the prizes?
Dang Ben, get off my case, I hadn’t had my coffee yet
I don’t understand your point. What “reverse case”? As for the prize distribution, the earlier posters had it right (except for the math errors) – the two 3-1’s split 1st and top C (largest prizes for which both are eligible, and the “C” would not get more by taking his class prize alone), $26 each. The highest-scoring (and only remaining) Class B player gets the B prize with 2.5 ($20), and the 1322 with 2.5 gets the Class D/E prize ($20). This is a pretty simple example; the complicated ones arise with “under” prizes of different amounts and different numbers of tied players.
Interesting problem. I initially agreed with thunderchicken’s distribution, but I realize now that I was arbitrarily pegging the 3-1 B player as laying claim to the $32 1st prize and the 3-1 C player as bringing his $20 class C prize into the pot, but seemingly equally valid is WildTommy’s way with the $32 pegged to the C player and the $20 B player’s class prize being put into the pot. The two 2-2 C players get screwed in thunderchicken’s method and the 2.5-1.5 B player gets screwed in WT’s way. Since Terry endorsed WT, and John endorsed thunderchicken, I’m going to say Ben’s method has some merit in that there are fewer screwed people, everybody gets a little money. However, I suspect that Ben’s way has the least justification in the rules.
I see your point now, and I have to admit it has some merit. Under this theory, 1st and B are combined (since one of the tied players is eligible for the B prize), 3 and 5 split C, and 6 still gets D. I now agree that this is a slightly more defensible interpretation of the rules. The “fractional prize” method is not, though many would consider it more equitable.
Whatever the intended answer – or the rulebook answer, or the suggestions of X, Y, and Z – this conversation makes it clear that the organizer needs to heed two pieces of advice when designing a prize fund:
“Under” prizes are preferable to “Class” prizes, e.g. instead of awarding a Class C prize, award an under-1600 prize.
Each prize should be strictly smaller than the prize above it. A place prize (even 3rd place or worse) should be higher than any class (or Under) prize. The class C prize should be smaller than (not equal to) the class B prize, etc.
Bill Smythe
Bill et al,
I didn’t even want to go into the under prize cases. I know they are difficult, and is why I stay away from them. Our area’s custom is “Class Prizes”, and I will continue those.
The case I presented was from a recent tournament where the 1688 B player objected to the prize award, claiming that he should be given the B prize. I awarded as WildTommy suggested, and wanted to be clear that I was correct. Seems there’s controversy, and would like to here more!
Bill, I agree with your #2 above, but not with your number 1 for the reasons I gave above.
I’m interested in strict rulebook requirements, not what the majority of players think to be more equitable. Rules should be consistent so that players don’t have to tell me that “well the last TD did it this other
way”
Cheers
Hi Terry,
Let’s change your example and ask a slightly different question.
Prizes:
1st – $80
2nd – $40
B – $50/25
C – $30/25
Results:
5-1 2100 (Expert) $65
5-1 1799 (B) $65
($130 = $80 + $50)
4-2 1702 (B) $??
4-2 1599 (C) $??
3.5-2.5 other players
In your example the choice of prizes, B or C, to bring up to the tied players was the same value, $20. In my example, the choice of prize values to bring up are different and actually inverted:
2nd B is $25,
1st C is $30.
Do you bring up the higher dollar value (1st class C = $30), or the higher class value (2nd class B = $25)?
It would seem to me that the higher dollar value should take precedence, and hence 1702 and 1599 should each receive $35 ($40 + $30)/2.
What do you think?
Kind Regards,
Tom Ewers