In short, Dropout tournaments are a hybrid between the Swiss and the Knockout format, click one of the dropout links above for more details. Three dropout tournaments are held annually on SchemingMind, in Standard Chess, Chess960 and chess variants. These tournaments usually last for up to two years, and the winners of these tournaments are considered to be the site champions in their specialty.
Number of players
Any number of players can participate in a dropout tournament. Four to six rounds are played, depending on the course of the event. Each player has two games per round with different opponents, one with the white and one with the black pieces. From round two onwards players with the same score will meet each other where possible; all pairings are drawn at random.
Scoring
For each game, players will be assigned MALUS-Points (MP) as follows - win: 0MP, draw: 1MP, loss: 3MP. Points are added over all rounds.
Elimination
After each round, players with scores equal or greater than the dropout threshold are eliminated from the tournament (the dropout threshold is normally six, but may vary for specialised tournaments).
Ranking
The player with the least MP after a maximum of six rounds is the winner of the tournament. A seventh round may be played only if a clear winner cannot be declared after six rounds.
Time Controls
Games are normally played under standard (30+1 Max 45 days) time controls. Unlike other games on SchemingMind.com, time-outs will be enforced by the system. Players who time-out will be disqualified from the remainder of the tournament.
Length of Games
Because dropout tournaments have multiple rounds, all games should be played with priority. Any game which is not decided within four months of the round starting can either be adjudicated or allowed to continue in parallel with the following round at the discretion of the TD. All decisions of the TD are final.
Kibitzing
Tournament games are normally public and kibitzing is encouraged, however no coaching for either player please.