When there is an odd number of players in a section, each round one player must sit out with a bye. In consolation for having to sit, the odd player with a bye scores a full point for the round. When the section is small and there are not many rounds, that can be serious problem. For example, in a section with nine players and four rounds, almost half the players will get a bye at some point and play only three games! The final results end up being strongly affected by unplayed games — not good!

To help ensure that there are even numbers of players in sections, we may invite a player near the boundary between sections to play up or down. A special priority is for the small, four-round, G/90 and G/60 sections to have even numbers. Don’t be alarmed if you see one player in your section with a rating that is slightly outside the normal, expected range.