Frequently, one tiebreak method alone will not break the tie, and it is necessary to use a secondary and sometimes even a tertiary method to produce a decision. We use the following methods listed below. The pairing software automatically calculates these tiebreaks to determine who is awarded which place trophy when players have the same score.
34E1. Modified Median The Median system, also known as the Harkness system for inventor Kenneth Harkness, evaluates the strength of a player’s opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores. In the Modified Median system, players who tie with even scores (an even score is equal to exactly one half of the maximum possible score), have the highest- and lowest-scoring opponents’ scores excluded. The system is modified for players with non-even scores to disregard only the least significant opponents’ scores: the lowest-scoring opponent’s score is discarded for tied players with plus scores and the highest-scoring for tied players with minus scores.
These scores are adjusted for unplayed games, which count a half point each, regardless of whether they were byes, forfeits, or simply rounds not played after an opponent withdrew. So an opponent who won the first two games, lost the third, withdrew and did not play rounds four or five would have an adjusted score of 3 points (1+1+0+0.5+0.5 = 3). These adjusted scores are used only to calculate the opponent’s tiebreaks. The player’s own score is not changed. If the player involved in the tie has any unplayed games, they count as opponents with adjusted scores of 0.
34E2. Solkoff. The Solkoff system is the same as the Median system (34E1) except that no opponents’ scores are discarded.
34E3. Cumulative. To determine cumulative tiebreak score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round. For example, if a player’s results were win, loss, win, draw, loss, the wall chart would show a cumulative score round by round as 1, 1, 2, 2.5, 2.5. The cumulative tiebreak total is 9 (1+1+2+2.5+2.5 = 9). If another player scored 2.5 with a sequence 1, 2, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, the tiebreak points scored would be 10.5 (1+2+2.5+2.5+2.5 = 10.5). The latter player’s tiebreaks are higher because he or she scored earlier and presumably had tougher opposition for the remainder of the event. One point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win or full-point bye (22B); likewise, one-half point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed draw or half-point bye.
This system is ideal for large events, since it is very fast and easy to use. It also avoids the problem, common in Median and Solkoff, of having to wait for a lengthy last-round game between two non-contenders to end for top prizes to be decided. Another advantage is that last-round scores need not be included in calculating cumulative tiebreak points, since they have no effect on breaking the tie (both tied players will necessarily have the same last round score).
Just, Tim. US Chess Federation’s: Official Rules of Chess. United States Chess Federation. Kindle Edition.
34E1. Modified Median The Median system, also known as the Harkness system for inventor Kenneth Harkness, evaluates the strength of a player’s opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores. In the Modified Median system, players who tie with even scores (an even score is equal to exactly one half of the maximum possible score), have the highest- and lowest-scoring opponents’ scores excluded. The system is modified for players with non-even scores to disregard only the least significant opponents’ scores: the lowest-scoring opponent’s score is discarded for tied players with plus scores and the highest-scoring for tied players with minus scores.
These scores are adjusted for unplayed games, which count a half point each, regardless of whether they were byes, forfeits, or simply rounds not played after an opponent withdrew. So an opponent who won the first two games, lost the third, withdrew and did not play rounds four or five would have an adjusted score of 3 points (1+1+0+0.5+0.5 = 3). These adjusted scores are used only to calculate the opponent’s tiebreaks. The player’s own score is not changed. If the player involved in the tie has any unplayed games, they count as opponents with adjusted scores of 0.
34E2. Solkoff. The Solkoff system is the same as the Median system (34E1) except that no opponents’ scores are discarded.
34E3. Cumulative. To determine cumulative tiebreak score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round. For example, if a player’s results were win, loss, win, draw, loss, the wall chart would show a cumulative score round by round as 1, 1, 2, 2.5, 2.5. The cumulative tiebreak total is 9 (1+1+2+2.5+2.5 = 9). If another player scored 2.5 with a sequence 1, 2, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, the tiebreak points scored would be 10.5 (1+2+2.5+2.5+2.5 = 10.5). The latter player’s tiebreaks are higher because he or she scored earlier and presumably had tougher opposition for the remainder of the event. One point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win or full-point bye (22B); likewise, one-half point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed draw or half-point bye.
This system is ideal for large events, since it is very fast and easy to use. It also avoids the problem, common in Median and Solkoff, of having to wait for a lengthy last-round game between two non-contenders to end for top prizes to be decided. Another advantage is that last-round scores need not be included in calculating cumulative tiebreak points, since they have no effect on breaking the tie (both tied players will necessarily have the same last round score).
Just, Tim. US Chess Federation’s: Official Rules of Chess. United States Chess Federation. Kindle Edition.