Implement Strength of Schedule and Extended Strength of Schedule as Tiebreakers for Swiss
A player’s strength of schedule is calculated by dividing each opponent’s total tournament points by the number of rounds that opponent has played, adding the results of each opponent played, and then dividing that total by the number of opponents the player has played. The player with the highest strength of schedule is ranked above all other players in the group not yet ranked. The player with the second-highest strength of schedule is ranked second among all players in the group not yet ranked, and so on.
A player’s extended strength of schedule is calculated by adding each opponent’s strength of schedule and then dividing by the number of opponents that player has played. The player with the highest extended strength of schedule is ranked above all other players in the group not yet ranked. The player with the second-highest extended strength of schedule is ranked second among all players in the group not yet ranked, and so on.
This would make a great strides in improving the tiebreakers used in Swiss format tournaments.
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ScicleX commented
I was recently registered in a Pokemon Showdown Swiss placement
tournament where after 6 rounds the participants were ranked and the top 32
moves to a Single Elimination Bracket.Looking at the use of Tie Break options (Wins Vs Tied Participants,
followed by Median-Buchholz system, followed by Points Difference) I found
that teams with a weaker Strength of Schedule, Buchholz value, or a mix of
the two were placed above teams with Stronger opponents.Given the nature of the format, and how valuable Strength of Schedule is,
and in limited sample sizes how important each match is to the overall
value of a Participant's standings; if it would be possible to add a regular
Buchholz option (all matches counted in point value) and possibly a
Strength of Schedule option, this would vastly improve the accuracy of Tie Breaks.