Per rule 28L2, the bye is determined to be given on the first round to the lowest rated player.
Seems simple enough. The problem is that we have a small group in Alaska, and the same guy is going to get the first round bye in 3 tournaments in a row.
He got the first round bye last Saturday, he will get the first round bye this Saturday, and will get the first round bye in our tournament after that, unless someone with less than 380 shows up.
I don’t have a problem with this rule, but I feel like I am picking on him, and he seems bummed when it happens. He is already bummed for this Saturday, unless someone doesn’t show up and the number becomes even again. His biggest complaint is he gets less games.
If he doesn’t gain rating for a while, he is going to get the first round bye for a long time.
The rule book makes this first round bye really clear, unless I can use rule 28M and find an alternative, which I can’t at this time.
I don’t have extra players for a house player.
I don’t have the extra time for cross round pairings.
I don’t have multiple sections for cross section pairings.
I could enter the tournament myself, to even the number, but I am fairly busy as the TD, with no assistants, so I couldn’t play competitively.
I suppose I could be the house player, but my rating is 5 times his. So it seems kind of unfair, as I will be playing against fairly low rated opponents. Granted, it would be in the “extra games” section, so it wouldn’t affect tournament results… but I am not sure if that would be acceptable. Or if my opponents would want that.
Thoughts from the peanut gallery? And thoughts from the more experienced TDs?