From: SalvaAC <at> AOL <dot> COM
Date: 2 jun 2000
Subject: Re: Tournament System - Knockdown or Swiss

I'll start this by saying I'm one of the more grave offenders and should,
with help from the rest of the Midwesterners (hey guys!), do better.

I know here in Chicago, we usually only have one tournament a year, in
October.  We play a very few number of rateable games over the course of a
year, let alone a month.  For such players as us, the thought of making a
long trek across the country or across the world to play only one or two
"games of consequence" is a bit sickening.  If more local or regional
tournaments were held, or at least a consistant opportunity to play rateable
games, the idea of a knockout system for the biggest tournaments wouldn't be
so unpalatable?  I for one still prefer a knockout system for the biggest
tournaments, especially when there are plenty of other opportunities to play
meaningful games.  I like the non-ambiguity of having one player go
undefeated and that person is the champion, even if that means giving the
strongest players a first-round bye to have the rest of the tournament work
as a single elimination.

I understand the difficulties if, say, the two strongest players were to play
each other in an early round.  How strictly seeded is the tournament?  If (is
this still a big "if?") all players have a rating, can they simply be placed
in order from one through whatever, and have the strongest players play the
weakest in the earlier rounds?  This may have very well been done anyway.

So, Midwesterners, when are we having that summer tournament?

Sal