A Bye in the Final Round

[Roger Patterson]

Re: A Bye in the Final Round

it varies - US tournaments often allow last round half point byes if asked for in advance whereas Canadian ones don't. I just tied for 1st in a US tournament with someone who had a last round bye (although I beat him in round 1!).

As it happens, he took an amateur option for entry fee so it gave me all of 1st prize.

But really, why do you care? a bye in the earlier rounds gives you better pairings (but doesn't really change your final point score for prize money) so that matters but in the last round it doesn't affect anything but prizes.

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: A Bye in the Final Round

A bye is given to a player so that they can play competitive games, still be in the thick of things. The 1/2 point is used for pairing the next round. As there is no round to play after the last round there is no reason to give a withdrawn player a bye.

There is also the element of fairness for players trying to win a prize. Players playing their last-round game know that they need to work hard for a win or draw (often against a higher rated player) to win a prize. These players, playing a tough, stressful game, resent having to share the prize with somebody who got their final 1/2 point without any effort or stress (and is not even there to pick up their prize).

[Nic Haynes]

Re: A Bye in the Final Round

As far as I know all of the tournaments I played in had a "0 point bye in the final round" rule, even if the request was made long before the tournament began.

I looked through the rules and couldn't find anything written about this issue.

The reason I'm posting is because I wonder if the rule is really necessary. And in addition to the possibility of it being unnecessary it may unfair.

I live about 500km from the closest tournament site and sometimes I need to either take a bye in the first or last round or both. Both of those rounds are equal in value in the overall standings. Why should a player who can't make the first round game be given a half a point and a player who can't make the last round game be given zero points?

If the TD is informed before the first round is paired, a half point bye in the final round might be fair as long as it is communitcated to all players when the pairings are posted.

I agree with you, although maybe a TD can provide a reason for this. Maybe it's because pairings get tougher as a tournament goes on, and IF you are winning, you will usually play players that are playing better and better as a tournament progresses.

That doesn't make too much sense to me though, as it certainly doesn't apply for all players and tournaments, just speculation.

[Chris White]

As far as I know all of the tournaments I played in had a "0 point bye in the final round" rule, even if the request was made long before the tournament began.

I looked through the rules and couldn't find anything written about this issue.

The reason I'm posting is because I wonder if the rule is really necessary. And in addition to the possibility of it being unnecessary it may unfair.

I live about 500km from the closest tournament site and sometimes I need to either take a bye in the first or last round or both. Both of those rounds are equal in value in the overall standings. Why should a player who can't make the first round game be given a half a point and a player who can't make the last round game be given zero points?

If the TD is informed before the first round is paired, a half point bye in the final round might be fair as long as it is communitcated to all players when the pairings are posted.