Weighted & Split Scores & Match Points
When a TD awards a Weighted and Split score, the sum of the Match Points awarded to the NS and EW Pairs playing the Weighted & Split hand may not be the same as the sum of the MPs for other pairs playing the same hand and/or the sum of the MPs awarded to results on other boards.
Take the example quoted on pages 78 and 79 of the White Book.
6 results on each board are expected, therefore the Maximum MP awarded on all boards should be 10.
In the example Board where there is a Weighted and Spit score, MPs are awarded as follows:-
+650 NS-10; EW-1 sum=11
-100 NS-6; EW-5 sum=11
-200 NS-2; EW-8 sum=10
-790 NS-0; EW-10 sum=10
W&S NS-6; EW-1 sum=7
It seems that some pairs are getting more than their fair share of MPs.
What should be done about this?
Comments
Remember that in effect, on any one board, it is all the N/S pairs that are competing against each other, and all the E/W pairs against each other.
If there are six results on a board, then (without any ruling) the total MPs available at any one table (i.e. shared between N/S & E/W) should be 10 MPs. But also, the total MPs available to all the N/S pairs alone should be 30 (e.g. 0+8+6+4+2+0). Likewise, all the E/W pairs share 30 MPs.
When you penalise a N/S pair, then the other N/S pairs gain MPs, and the total remains 30.
What happens with a split ruling (the fact that there might also be weighting is irrelevant to this particular point) is that both the N/S pair and the E/W pair at the same table are penalised - or at least one is penalised without the other receiving the equivalent reward. So other N/S pairs & E/W pairs get the benefit of this ruling.
If you suspend your belief, for the moment, that the competition is between N/S and E/W at any one table, but that it is a competition between all the N/S pairs, then there is nothing wrong with this 'anomaly'.
Good point, I can see that NS and EW MPs sum to 30MPs which is the same as on other boards and that therefore their is no advantage.
Thanks for pointing this out.