Why would you use pairing software after the fact? It is much easier, or at least seems as though it would be, just to set up the tournament by hand online. With a long enough time control, or enough staff, you can enter the results as you go. I do that for all my RR tournaments so that they display properly on MSA.
Alex Relyea
It’s been awhile since I’ve sent in a report, and I guess a few steps have been revised, possibly I’ve forgotten some steps? I think it used to be that the files had to be loaded from the pairing software to TD/A, something like that? But yes, I think now, we can just enter the tournament in TD/A? Does that sound right? Remember also, that not every location has internet capability, and thus, we have to wait til we get one.
Just haven’t had to send in any reports lately.
And better.
For example, you can avoid the Dennis Keen trap, where there are no pairings in the 4th round of a 6-player event. I’m pretty sure both WinTD and SwisSys will fall into this trap if you let them.
And “irregular” situations can be handled quickly – cross-round pairings, a player playing two games simultaneously, etc.
Plus, you can keep the wall chart updated game by game, as results come in. (You can do the same with pairing software, by posting results manually on the pre-printed wall chart, but unfortunately nobody does this anymore.)
Bill Smythe
Hey, I do it at every tournament I direct! I have a special set of felt-tip pens I use just for the wall charts.
A TD who is sitting down during a round isn’t doing his job.
– Hal Terrie
Players appreciate when the wall charts are updated during the round. They see where they stand and can figure out who they will be paired with the next round, an advantage for preparation. When we have team prizes in an event, players and parents always ask about team standings during the round, so I update those, too. Doing all of this gives the TD a better sense of the future pairings and potential problems that might arise over color allocation. I also mark 1/2 byes and withdrawals as they occur. You can get away without marking things up during the round, as happens in most large events, but I would feel I was being lazy and inattentive if I did not mark results. Plus it is a redundant backup if the unthinkable happens - a computer crash and loss of data.
As for byes, I try not to give byes to not only unrated, but also to those who have requested 1/2 byes or to those who have received a forfeit win during the event. People come to play, not sit around. A bye in those cases also might be too big an advantage for prize purposes. New players and unrateds should expect to play every game. We should encourage trying to get these players from a provisional to an established rating as quickly as possible. This aids in retaining them as part of the pool of players for our events.
I do 
I have had the same discussion with Mr. Doan about WinTD not assigning the full point bye to the correct person according to the unambiguous USCF rule, to no avail. However, there is a relatively easy work-around for this problem. After you pair a section check to see that WinTD has assigned the bye to the correct person. In the odd numbered rounds probably will have. It is almost always in the even numbered rounds when most people are due an equalizing color WinTD will sometimes assign a bye to the wrong person. In that case just undo the pairings for the section, assign a full point bye to whoever is actually due the bye, and then re-pair the section. It literally takes only a few seconds to do this.
Scott Parker
As do I.
(Well, I don’t do in-round updates for blitz or quick events, but I do put out an updated wallchart with current point totals along with the pairings for each round of those faster events.)
I’m delighted to find that (by a long shot) I am not alone.
In the Chicago area, even some of my (otherwise) favorite TDs don’t bother.
Bill Smythe
I am somewhat turned off by your use of the word “correct” to describe an illogical rule which, through forgetfulness or inattention, was written the way it was. It is obviously far more logical to apply the same criteria to transpositions involving the byed player as it is to those involving the downfloated player.
Tom Doan nailed this one.
Bill Smythe
When I manually pair, I pair the round. While they’re playing, I make up the wall chart. As results come in, I update the wall chart. I have a sign over the wall chart that states “Please Do Not Write On Wall Charts”. When the round is finished, new Pairing Sheets go up, along with a new wall chart (if using WINTD). YES, I also update the Wall Charts, by hand, during the round, that are produced when using the software, after which I print new charts.
Trying to convert prose into a computer algorithm sometimes exposes weaknesses in the description. The way that WinTD does pairing it effectively is impossible to drop the lowest rated player ignoring the implications for the rest of the score group. The only way to do it would be pretty much as described for doing it manually—set aside the player, cross your fingers and pair everyone else.