"Bye player" or "Ghost" (DeVenezia's term) are synonymous in this discussion: The tables were revised to correct the double-white or double-black problem. It is worth noting however, that there are only so many things that can be done to R-R tables or their long table model: renumber the players, assign the opposite color to all the fixed boards, and/or assign the opposite initial color to the bye player. My own suggestion is No. 1 has White against No. 10 while players 2-5 have Black against 9-6 respectively. Each player (other than 10) would have White before their bye round, play No. 10 with whatever color No. 10 is due (or have a bye), and Black in the following round, vice versa to the Berger tables. Player 10 would have Black against 1-5 and White against 6-9 as they came to him. These changes are already incorporated in the above example.
| Feature | Porter-Berger | Crenshaw-Berger |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Minuend | Smallest ODD number > no. players | Smallest EVEN number > OR = no. players |
| Ghost's pairing number | Minuend - 1 | Minuend |
| First Round Bye or Ghost pairing | Player No. 1 | Minuend / 2 |
| Player 1 rd. 1 seating | At Ghost Board | One position clockwise from Ghost |
| Seating of players | Counterclockwise on alternate boards | Clockwise on alternate boards |
| Rotation between rounds | Clockwise | Clockwise |
| First Round Opponent | Subtract pairing number from minuend | Subtract pairing number from minuend |
| First Round Color | Higher number has White | Higher number has White |
| Color Rule | Odd vs Even: Higher number has White. +Same: Lower has White. | Odd vs Even: Lower number has White. +Same: Upper has White. |
| Color vs. Ghost | * Lower numbers have White & vice versa | * Lower numbers have White & vice versa |
| Color assignment around Ghost | White before and Black after. | White before and Black after. |
| Next Opponent | Add 1 to last opponent. No. 1 follows highest odd. | Subtract 1 from last opponent. Highest odd follows No. 1. |
| Bye or Ghost pairing | When paired with own number. | When paired with own number. |
Highlighted rows are only
applicable to a physical model of the round robin.
To create round robin pairing tables click here.
To get players to write their own Porter-Berger schedules click here.
© 2009 by Warren Porter