Sorry, I've really got nothing to offer in the way of software. My "pull numbers out of a hat" page might be useful as part of a random process:
permutation.htm. Players 1-4 play the 1
st round, 5-8 play the 2
nd, and 9 & 10 will play the 3
rd round. At this point the pairings look like this (White is first named player), labeling the small team A-D:
Rd 1 A1 2B C3 4D
Rd 2 5A B6 7C D8
Rd 3 A9 10B C- -D
Rd 4 -A B- -C D-Run the page with 10 players but if 9 or 10 are in the first two positions either swap positions 1 & 3 or 2 & 4, or rerun until both are missing in the first two. Positions 1 & 2 play round 3 and 3
rd-6
th play round 4. Alternating colors will be easy for the little team but for members of the big team who play twice, assign them opponents who will give them an equalizing color--if this is impossible replace the last player due the wrong color with the first one in 7-10 due the right color.
A typical output of that page for 10 players is
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8 5 1 4 7 2 3 9 10 6Since neither 9 or 10 appear in the first two positions, it can be used to complete the Rd 3 pairings and all of the 4
th round. In Rd 3: C8 & 1D. For Rd 4: 4A, B5. Both
7 and
2 are due Black, so we substitute 3 (next in line) for 2 who is due a White. The last two pairings for Rd 4 are 3C & D7.
Number the competitors in a standard arrangement such as order in which they registered, alphabetical, seeded rankings, or ratings. Run the page with 4 to assign pairing numbers to the small team and with 10 to give the big team their pairing numbers. The teams are ready to cross swords. Pairing numbers will be on the bottom line. Good luck with your league!
