I and another individual feel we were unjustly treated in a recent local club tournament by a TD and I’d like feedback, especially from a TD.
An e-mail was sent earlier that day by the TD letting everyone know of tentative pairings and that an individual who had never entered the tournament will be paired and allowed to play due to an uneven number (idea behind a bye); mind you, this was the 4th round in a 5 round SS and I was given a bye. That evening when everyone had gathered, I was still left without an opponent. The other individual who was “forced” a bye also was left hanging because another participant had asked for a bye at the last minute. My question is, how is it that an individual (Me) who had faithfully attended every round up to that point be given two byes in a row??? Is this normal? I’m not sure how TD’s calculate parings and give out byes but is it normal to have an individual be given two byes in a row? I’d like to know that statistic. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enter tournaments to twiddle my thumbs. The other individual who was given the other bye was out because the TD hapazardly gave preferential treatment to an individual who shouldn’t have been given priority in the first place and the consequences of another individual who had requested a bye at the last minute. As a consolation, the TD indicated that we had the option to play each other, although we were in two different sections; he was the higher rated 1800 and I, 1300. Citing, the rating difference and that he wouldn’t benefit, he declined. I guess he would have the bigger beef but decided to not “rock the boat.” Having had the earlier e-mail indicating I had a bye, I asked whether I had the option of showing up or not. The TD indicated that I had to be present. Is this correct? Why am I at the mercy of someone possibly showing up at the last minute to play me? Shouldn’t there be a deadline? My beef is, was it highly unusual to be awarded two byes in a row? Shouldn’t that have been spread around the group? I think so. Also, this is going to blow your mind: I was also involved in another local tournament as well as the other bye individual. Guess who and he was paired up with??? Now, what is the chance of us two being paired up to play each other in another local tournament. Somethings odd! Last note: The two of us that were given byes had sterling attendance. We both had faithfully shown up every round. In the spirit of fairness, how is it that we got the short end of the stick???
In my opinion, byes can be a conduit to unfairness. Why should an individual who faithfully shows up get less of a priority than an indidual who either is given entrance to a tournament (having never entered the tournament) and or/ participants who bail at the last minute due to any reason? The individuals who cause havoc to the pairings because they decide they can’t make for whatever reason should suffer the consequences and not individuals who had faithfully attended every round. Please help me understand. As of now, I am wary of the integrity of this TD and USCF tournament regulations, etc.
I’d need more information – preferably from the TD – to reach a conclusion. In answer to your specific points:
A player should not get the bye twice. It is theoretically possible for a player who had a half-point bye subsequently to receive a full-point bye, but it’s a bad pairing decision and should be avoided if at all possible.
If the TD allowed a player to enter after four rounds creating an odd number (thus forcing a bye), he was wrong. Adding a player this way to make the number even is fine. However, if someone then withdrew, the new player (basically a house man) should have been taken out and the pairings redone. If, on the other hand, someone just didn’t show up, producing a forfeit, what do you expect the TD to do about it?
Sending the pairings out by e-mail was a nice gesture by the TD, but pairings are not final until the start of the round. The TD should have made that clear when he sent them out.
Think what you have is a month long swiss. Since players will forfeit or withdraw from the round, then back again the next week. Any month long swiss pairings can become so insane.
The director should never give anyone two forced byes in the tournament. Think what happen, your opponent withdrew for the round but not withdrawn from the event. If I understand it, this happen in two different rounds. What I think your director is doing is pairing the rounds at home. As the director does not have a pairing program at the tournament site.
Since you say the director emails the pairings before the start of the round. If one player calls up and withdraw from the round, feel the director just give the withdrawing opponent a forced bye then re-pair the section. Think this is what you are talking about. Starting to feel you should not have been given a bye the first time. Very sure you should not have been give a bye the second time.
Think your director does not understand how to do the pairings with pairing cards. The director has a pairing program, as the director does the pairings at home then emails all the players. Since your opponent withdrew and you have a forced bye if I am right. This would force the director to re-pair the section. If the director does not understand how to pair the round with pairing cards, can see how he gave you a second bye.
If it was me, would make up some pairing cards for your director. Would love to see him pair the first round with pairing cards!
It sounds like it was clear that the pairings sent via e-mail were tentative.
That’s also why you had to show up, in case the pairings changed.
You did not indicate how many players were in the event, that could affect bye decisions. Were there other byes given in earlier rounds or other players who had no-show opponents? (That’s often a problem with one-game-a-week club events.)
BTW, splitting your post into several smaller paragraphs would have made it a lot easier to read.
Have you tried using MSA to get the tournament ID? Just post that and we can all go through it … I’d like to have time to look at it before it appears in another TD Corner quiz
