Pairing issue

I was running a 6 player 4 rd swiss section this weekend. I anticipated issues in rounds 3 and 4. Round 1, 1, 2 and 3 win.
Round 2 I floated 4( highest loser) paired from there. SwissSys wanted 1-2 3-4 5-6 a senior TD said that’s preferred, but doesn’t that lead to color issues ?

I assume 1 was black in round one. 1-2 3-4 5-6 equalizes colors for every player. What’s not to like? Round 3 is where you need to be careful, making sure you can pair round 4 without rematches.

How did you pair it, and why?

If the tournament in question is the one listed on MSA as ending 10-25-2015, then it doesn’t look as though players 1,2,3 all won in round one.

In any case, you shouldn’t have any color issues in round 2, although it’s just possible that if colors don’t all work in round 2, you’re less likely to stumble into the 6-player trap in round 3. It’s still possible, though. When you pair round 3 in a 6-player Swiss, it’s important to try to dummy-pair round 4 too, just to see if there are any pairings at all.

A fuller discussion of the 6-player trap can be found here.

Bill Smythe