knockout

Knockout tourneys are also known as single elimination tourneys.  Here is
how they work.  Firstly, the amount of players required to start must be
either 2^x or 2^x-1, where x > 2.  In other words, you can start with 7, 
8, 15, 16, 31, 32, 63, 64, etc.  x also represents the number of rounds
the tourney will last.  Once started, the the players are seeded based on
their ratings.  If there are an odd number of players at the start of a
round, one player is given a bye and moves on to the next round.  The
remaining players play.  The top seed plays the bottom seed, the
2nd seed plays the second to last seed, etc.  Winners move on to the next
round. In the event of a draw, whoever played black moves on the if the
difference in rating between the two players is less than 200 points.
Otherwise, the lower rated player moves on.

[Last modified: September 25, 1998 -- toddmf]
