The NAST Final Event Format

 

The underlying principle is that the Final Event needs to be structured in such a way that it doesn't unduly favor the strongest players, who will be favored anyway.  Therefore, while the Finals may have more than six rounds, it can't be so long as to defeat the underlying principle.  Because the actual number of players is unknown, the format must be flexible enough to handle a wide range of playing fields, including an odd number.  Perhaps the odd number can be eliminated by having a designated Alternate, i.e., a player selected from the Satellite pool who will be invited to play if the final number is odd.  As in the Satellites, a tie-breaker for identical win-loss records must be employed (e.g., spread, average score, opponent average score, etc.); spread is the likely choice.  A method is needed for ranking/seeding players at the start.  Ratings are an obvious choice, but we could use Satellite performance, or some combination of the two, as well.

 

One option is to play a simple, pure Swiss format until there is only one undefeated player.  For a small field, this won't take very long (an 8-player field would require three rounds).  Even a large field could be handled in one day (a 128-player field would require seven rounds).

 

Another option is to play a knockout format, similar to many sporting events (e.g., the NCAA college basketball tournament).  The required number of games would be the same as in Swiss pairing, but the difference is that the pairing brackets of the first round determine who might be paired in subsequent rounds.  Winners still face winners, but not necessarily the same winners as they would in Swiss pairs, which take into account rankings within players of similar win-loss records.  Losing players would continue to play, probably by some type of Swiss pairing.

 

A variation on the knockout format would be a double-elimination tournament.  This would be similar to some sporting events (e.g., the College Baseball World Series), where players who lose a game would have a chance to come back through the losers' bracket to get a shot at the player who comes through the winners' bracket.  This would take a bit longer than a single-elimination event, and leads to the unusual situation of the sole remaining winning player playing fewer games (probably two) than the players who continue to play through the losers' bracket.  For Finals fields larger than 16 players, this format would probably require a second day.

 

Another approach would be to have a two-stage format (similar to the 1991 World Scrabble Championship), with a preliminary stage consisting of x-number of grouped round-robin games and a final stage using another format, such as knockout.

 

The Finals could be run the same way as the Satellites, with a six game format prearranged for any size field, except that byes would now be a possibility if an odd number is playing.  This would be the most consistent approach.

 

In all of these formats, a plan would be in place for players who are out of contention for the big prizes to continue playing for smaller prizes and, of course, rating points.  This way, all players would still play the same number of games.  A possible exception would be the double-elimination format, where it's possible that the final two players would be the only ones playing in the last round or two and that the sole undefeated player will have played fewer games.

Tentative Finals Format

 

Players are seeded initially by random draw (this is to increase uncertainty and suspense).

 

Format 1:  6 - 30 players

 

7 games.  Same as Satellite formats for four rounds, adjust Swiss Round 5 for no repeats, add Swiss Round 6 (repeats allowed).  KOH Round 7.

 

Format 2:  32 or more players

 

7 games.  Six rounds Swiss pairings, adjusted for no repeats through Round 5.  KOH Round 7.

 

Place Prizes:  prize fund depends on number of players in Satellites; main prizes paid to top three places on a 65 - 25 - 10 percent payout, $50 Satellite entry fee.

 

For 100 Satellite players, the Final Event prizes for 1st -  2nd - 3rd places would be approximately $1,000 - $400 - $160.

 

For 300 Satellite players, the Final Event prizes for 1st -  2nd - 3rd places would be approximately $3,000 - $1,200 - $480.

 

For 600 Satellite players, the Final Event prizes for 1st -  2nd - 3rd places would be approximately $6,000 - $2,400 - $960.

 

Note:  The prize structure is tentative.  It may be graduated differently based on the size of the Final field, and could change due to sponsorship.