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The Billiards Quarterly Review : January 1995

Amateur Tournament Format

Peter Gray

Ross Porter's thoughts have prompted me to write re the format of your tournaments ABC and Pro-Am.

Ross included one fact which I had not been sure of, and that is the distance (hour and half-hour.) Perhaps you might include this in the header for us colonials. (Point taken - Ed.)

I agree that handicapping is not the answer to providing a fair day's play for one and all, and would like to propose a scenario which we have tried successfully at State level, and which is also used for every major event at world level in another branch of cue sports.

This is the, "Double Elimination," draw, and I have included a copy courtesy of John Lewis, Billiards Congress of America, which I hope you can squeeze into print.

I will explain the benefits first;-

  1. Every player is guaranteed 2 games.
  2. After two rounds, a quarter of the field drops out, the rest get three games.
  3. You don't need to play a Plate (Repercharge) there is one built in.
  4. Pros can be seeded out of one round so that they don't crush the rabbits straight away - and it doesn't make any differ ence, they still have two lives.
  5. All players are playing in one event and if prize money goes to say 7th and 8th, it is automatic.
How it works:-

A normal knock out draw - with a Mirror Image draw going the opposite way.

Normal draw goes to the right and the losers draw goes to the left. If you lose in the main draw, up to whatever point the organiser decides, you are then transferred to the losers side, if you lose there then you're out.

I believe that this is the best system for all cue sports. However there are disadvantages, some of which can be overcome.

  1. The tournament takes longer than a straight knock out.
  2. Winners can be waiting for losers to play.

A short cut to partially solve these, is to have two lives only to the last 8 or last 4. So either the quarters or semis are knockout. This saves time and these players are already in the money. Of course, organisers have to become familiar with the system to use it to the best effect, but it is not difficult. I have draws for any number of players up to 64. As is the case with a standard draw, you can use a 32 draw for, say, 20 players, creating the byes is a little different.

Thank you Peter. I am not able to publish your example (space) but will send a photocopy to anyone who is interested. It seems a good idea to me. In a competition with a fair number of entries, most players would get more games than under the system we are now using. First time losers on both sides of the draw would, as now, get just two games. But a first round winner, who then ran into a top professional, would still take his appointed place on the losers side of the draw. Having examined your example I must say that it is nothing like as complicated as it looks at first sight. I hope that there will be some reader response.