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Most Swiss-system tournaments are unfair: Evidence from chess

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  • L'aszl'o Csat'o

Abstract

Swiss-system is an increasingly popular tournament format as it provides an attractive trade-off between the number of matches and ranking accuracy. However, few empirical research consider the optimal design of the Swiss-system. We contribute to this issue by investigating the fairness of Swiss-system chess competitions with an odd number of rounds, where half of the players have an extra game with white pieces. They are proven to enjoy a significant advantage and to be overrepresented among both the highest-ranked and outperforming players. Therefore, Swiss-system tournaments should have an even number of rounds and use a pairing mechanism that guarantees a balanced colour assignment.

Suggested Citation

  • L'aszl'o Csat'o, 2024. "Most Swiss-system tournaments are unfair: Evidence from chess," Papers 2410.19333, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2410.19333
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    References listed on IDEAS

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