Tournament seating arrangements

[peterb001]

When there is a single section, and especially when playing a standard Mitchell, is there any logic that determines which players will sit NS and which will be EW?

[vnibu131]

Yes I think I have found some logic (too much free time). Though it does not matter as you are always in 'South'position.

 

The first pair to register are N/S

Second pair to register are E/W

3rd, 5th etc are N/S.

Of course Entries are displayed in alphabetical order.

After that the 'inviter' becomes W, 'invited' is E. Similar for N/S (I think!)

 

Hav'nt worked out how pairs are assigned to a table at the start but after that normal Mitchel applies.

 

I always reply to queries that 'BBO decides', after all it does not matter.

[barmar]

In stratified tournaments, the players are distributed among sections and directions to try to get close to an equal number of A, B, and C players in each group.

[mycroft]

Question barmar: do you also try to scatter the A's, B's, and C's in each line?

 

This is not an implied criticism, I've never noticed one way or the other, nor have I hit a "murderer's row" in my memory (being cursed to always play the (arguably) best pair in the city every session is another story). Don't actually care whether it happens or not, just want to be able to answer when I'm asked.

[barmar]

Question barmar: do you also try to scatter the A's, B's, and C's in each line?

I'm not sure what you mean by "each line". The goal is to make each section and direction roughly similar in composition of A, B, and C pairs.

[jnichols]

I'm not sure what you mean by "each line". The goal is to make each section and direction roughly similar in composition of A, B, and C pairs.

 

Sometimes it seems like all the good As are sitting at tables next to one another.

[mycroft]

Sorry, barmar, should have been clearer.

 

Especially in "6x2, 15 tables per section" (or 6x3, or...), it's important that all the A pairs aren't clumped up at the beginning, nor there be a nice run of fish at the end. If most-play-most, it's less of a problem. Just wondered if that was taken into account.

[CBAI125508]

When there is a single section, and especially when playing a standard Mitchell, is there any logic that determines which players will sit NS and which will be EW?

We have started a small competition in our club where all players connect via 'zoom', so they can see each other at the same table and recreate the social niceties and 'small talk' of a pre-Covid game at the club! We use the 'break-out' room functionality on 'zoom' so that we can only see and talk to the others at our table (the break out rooms are switched after each round). It would therefore be very helpful to know the way the system allocates pairs to tables. vnibu131 has posted a suggestion that the allocation is based on the order players register, combined with whether you invite a partner or are invited yourself......would be interested to know if this is correct and whether there is some further logic. Would be grateful for any comments in relation to the BBO algorithm used.

[jeffford76]

We have started a small competition in our club where all players connect via 'zoom', so they can see each other at the same table and recreate the social niceties and 'small talk' of a pre-Covid game at the club!

 

For the purposes of Zoom, all you need to know is how the pairs move, not how they are initially allocated, right? As long as the director tells you which table you started at, it's easy to move each round to the correct table. (I'm assuming here that you are co-hosts so you are moving yourselves.)

[wnt53]

For the purposes of Zoom, all you need to know is how the pairs move, not how they are initially allocated, right? As long as the director tells you which table you started at, it's easy to move each round to the correct table. (I'm assuming here that you are co-hosts so you are moving yourselves.)

Now how brilliant would that be, if BBO and Zoom teamed up so at the start of a tourney you join both the tourney and zoom and Zoom creates a room of 4 for each table and adjusts as the table changes. I think people would def pay for that.

[barmar]

Sometimes it seems like all the good As are sitting at tables next to one another.

After we put the players into strats, we shuffle them randomly within each stratum before assigning to tables.

[mycroft]

Good to know. I think "shuffle randomly" when it's a 15-table section playing 6x2 means that there are definitely going to be some "hard lines" and some "easy lines", even if there's 60 tables in the event and each set of 15 have 5 As, ...

 

I think it's something that should be looked at, if playing "less than 70% of your section" is going to be a thing. Alternatively, drop the section sizes to something closer to the round count, while still ensuring "similar strat counts" - say 9 tables/section playing 6x2.