"34E. Calculating Swiss tie breaks. This section deals with various systems that have been used successfully at all levels of play. For team events, see 34G.

Unless a different method has been posted or announced before the start of the first round, player will expect the following sequence of tie-break systems to be employed as the first four tie breakers. Any variation to be used within the various systems should be posted also. These systems (and some additional ones) are explained in detail following the list.

1. Modified Median
2. Solkoff
3. Cumulative
4. Cumulative of Opposition

34E1. Modified Median. The Median system, also known as the Harkness system for inventor Kenneth Harkness, evaluates the strength of a player's opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores.

The original system is used for players who tie with even scores, but is modified for other scores to disregard only the least significant opponents' scores. The lowest-scoring opponent is discarded for tied players with plus scores and the highest scoring for players with minus scores.

For tournaments of nine or more rounds, the top two and bottom two scores are discarded for even score ties, the bottom two scores for plus score ties, and the top two scores for minus score ties.

These scores are adjusted for unplayed games, which count a half point each, regardless of whether they were byes, forfeits, or simply rounds not played after an opponent withdrew. So an opponent who won the first two games, lost the third, withdrew and did not play rounds four or five would have an adjusted score of 3 points.

If a player involved in the tie has any unplayed games, they count as opponents with adjusted scores of 0.

If a player who scored in actual play ties with one whose entire point total is due to unplayed games, tie-break points should not be used; the player who scored in actual play wins automatically.

34E2. Solkoff. The Solkoff system is just like the Median except that no opponents' scores are discarded.

34E3. Cumulative. To determine cumulative tie-break score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round. For example, if a player's results were win, loss, win, draw, loss, the wall chart would show a cumulative score round by round as 1, 1, 2, 2 1/2, 2 1/2. The cumulative tie-break total is 9. If another player scored 2 1/2 with a sequence 1, 2, 2 1/2, 2 1/2, 2 1/2, the tie-break points scored would be 10 1/2. The latter player's tie breaks are higher because he or she scored earlier and presumably had tougher opposition for the remainder of the event. One point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win or one-point bye.

This system is ideal for large events, since it is very fast and easy to use. It also avoids the problem, common in Median and Solkoff, of having to wait for a lengthy last-round game between two non-contenders to end for top prizes to be decided. Another advantage is that last-round scores need not be included in calculating cumulative tie-break points, since they have no effect on breaking the tie.

34E4. Cumulative of Opposition: The cumulative tie-break points of each opponent are calculated as in 34E3, and these are added together.

Additional systems:..."