A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. It is a common event in many gaming stores, conventions and other locations where players can show up with their squad/deck/army/fleet and compete for prizes. There are a number of different types of tournaments, but the most popular is single elimination. This is the most efficient tournament for a game that requires long sets, but it can also be stressful on players because they can be knocked out with one loss.
The word tournament is from the French verb tourner, to turn or twist; the etymology of this word suggests its original meaning was a kind of mock fight. These chivalrous shows of strength, skill and loyalty to a lord were commonly held in the medieval and Renaissance period (12th to 16th centuries). They often involved fighting, jousting and other displays of physical prowess, but also included courtly ceremonies such as dances and processions; and the use of costumes, drama and symbolism.
Tournaments are an important tool in the management of a complex system of alternatives. They provide a means to compare the alternatives pairwise to approximate their true but latent ranking. However, comparing the same alternative with a pair of other alternatives multiple times results in an inefficient use of resources. This paper introduces a new approach to the design of tournaments that overcomes this limitation. The proposed mechanism is based on a simple concept of comparison that combines the advantages of both nested and unnested tournaments.
This tournament type is particularly useful in situations where eliminating competitors is undesirable, such as intramural or recreational settings, or for games in which the final rank is of little importance, such as physical education classes. It consists of two stages, with each stage consisting of a round-robin group followed by single elimination. The resulting tournament is very efficient and relatively easy to run, but the final rank can still be meaningful.
When constructing a tournament, it is important to consider the experience of the participants. A tournament should be well run and fair, with an emphasis on maximizing participation, fun, and learning. This can be achieved by making the tournament accessible and affordable to everyone, ensuring adequate space, equipment, and staff, providing clear rules and expectations, and encouraging positive and courteous play.
Creating a tournament involves deciding how to divide the entries into groups, what sort of bonus points should be awarded and when the tournament should end. For example, some people choose to run a double split tournament that divides the entries into two groups of 12 or more. This can be helpful for increasing the number of participants in a short tournament, but it can cause problems if there are too few entries. Another option is the quadruple split, which solves the same problem but has the added benefit of being easier to administer. Other options include the Swiss system, which ties each participant to a specific opponent, and the round robin tournament, which assigns players to a group by random draw.