[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I got tasked with another q, due to the success of my first q.

In case I forgot, thanks for the answers and resources.

Assume, you have a X Table Howell.

Can you integrate a pair, that showes up before the end of the first round?
Would this be a rover pair? And how would it move?

And it is unclear, if the pair showes up.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-12, 15:26, said:

Assume, you have a X Table Howell.

Can you integrate a pair, that showes up before the end of the first round?
Would this be a rover pair? And how would it move?

And it is unclear, if the pair showes up.

As a premise, I would refuse to integrate a pair from my club that failed to sign up before the known deadline 5 hours before play, unless I had an odd number of pairs at the deadline (in which case I announce that I will accept one more pair). I might accept a pair of exotic strangers, but not if it forced to me to play an awkward movement or it was unclear they intended to show up. The more latitude you allow in these things and the less tables and more last minute withdrawals you end up with, in my experience. It's important that players understand they have to commit in advance and that in return the tournament will happen and be well run.

Having said that, I think you have the cart before the horse, assuming you have a Dealer machine. First look at the (modified) number of pairs, then decide the movement. It's a minor problem to deal a few more boards (and you should have done this anyway if you knew an extra pair would require more boards) and it's only a minute or so in most scoring programs to change a 5 table Howell to a 6 table Howell, or a 6 table Howell to a 7 table Mitchell, or whatever.

[jillybean]

Yet another Global difference. Here, we just roll up, 2 minutes before, or after game time. Club or tournament game
So far I have only added a late pair to fill a half table.

[mike777]

pescetom, on 2025-November-12, 16:36, said:

As a premise, I would refuse to integrate a pair from my club that failed to sign up before the known deadline 5 hours before play, unless I had an odd number of pairs at the deadline (in which case I announce that I will accept one more pair). I might accept a pair of exotic strangers, but not if it forced to me to play an awkward movement or it was unclear they intended to show up. The more latitude you allow in these things and the less tables and more last minute withdrawals you end up with, in my experience. It's important that players understand they have to commit in advance and that in return the tournament will happen and be well run.

Having said that, I think you have the cart before the horse, assuming you have a Dealer machine. First look at the (modified) number of pairs, then decide the movement. It's a minor problem to deal a few more boards (and you should have done this anyway if you knew an extra pair would require more boards) and it's only a minute or so in most scoring programs to change a 5 table Howell to a 6 table Howell, or a 6 table Howell to a 7 table Mitchell, or whatever.

Wow strict rules in Europe.

Here we just show up..or not

Mandatory pre sign up one more hassle to not play..

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

We are pretty lenitent, if it comes to signing up, basically we req.,
that peoble, who want to play are at the club 15 min before it starts.
Most clubs in our area are a lot more strict.

We have a mechanism to register, if you are registered, you can show up
at the start.
The main problem is, that at starting time, there is a rushhour around us,
..., the headquarter of a big European company is located in our small city.
Given that we also want to provide play opportunity for working peoble,
you cannot do much, the guys also need to get up on the next day in the
morning, we play 25-27 boards, and some do have a travel distance of
50...75km.
In short, a registered pair, may be late.
We would like to start the tournament anyway, and integrate the late comer.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-13, 00:34, said:

In short, a registered pair, may be late.
We would like to start the tournament anyway, and integrate the late comer.

If you mean that a pair is registered but warns you that one or both may be late, I say either "ok thanks, get here ASAP" or if possible "no problem, I'll switch you to sitout the first round". In any case the tournament starts on time: when they arrive they arrive, more often than not in time to catch up and finish the first round (I give them a little rope if necessary). If they do miss any boards then Law 12 applies, but I waive late arrival penalties unless they failed to advise me.
This has always worked fine for me, at any rate.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I have most likely failed to describe the issue properly.
My p told me, that the scenario he tries to solve is a bit different, than was
outlined by me:

An odd number of pairs has registered to play, but one pair is missing.
The question is, can we start the tournament with say 6 full tables, the players
play the round, and if the late pair arrives in time, can we modify the movement
in such a way, that we are now playing 7 tables, but all players keep their numbers,
and the scores entered (sheet of papers to the rescue) are still valid.

There is a solution.

Basically you can have a family of Howell movements, that satisfy the following:
the first table is statinary, and on the first table play 1 against 2 the first board
set, on the 2nd play 3 against 4 the second board set, and so on.

If the late pair arrives in time, you can switch to the next member of the Howell family.

If you have a Howell for a given table number, you can construct a Howell, that satisfies
this condition.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-27, 12:11, said:

I have most likely failed to describe the issue properly.
My p told me, that the scenario he tries to solve is a bit different, than was
outlined by me:

An odd number of pairs has registered to play, but one pair is missing.
The question is, can we start the tournament with say 6 full tables, the players
play the round, and if the late pair arrives in time, can we modify the movement
in such a way, that we are now playing 7 tables, but all players keep their numbers,
and the scores entered (sheet of papers to the rescue) are still valid.

There is a solution.

Basically you can have a family of Howell movements, that satisfy the following:
the first table is statinary, and on the first table play 1 against 2 the first board
set, on the 2nd play 3 against 4 the second board set, and so on.

If the late pair arrives in time, you can switch to the next member of the Howell family.

If you have a Howell for a given table number, you can construct a Howell, that satisfies
this condition.

That's clearer thanks, and I'm curious to know if there is such a solution.
If not, I would not worry about it in the least: if the late pair has a reasonable excuse and assures me they will arrive with a manageable delay, then I run the 13x2 Howell with bye I had already promised, otherwise I tell the late pair to forget it and we play a full 12x2 Howell (or a lazy 5x4 skip Mitchell if it is just a practice tournament).

My underlying gripe is that I do not approve of letting the tail (the late pair) wag the dog (the tournament). Do it even once and you will never know when the tournament will start or how many pairs you really have.

[mycroft]

Sorry I have not responded before, crazy regional (20% over the *hope for* number, 25% over "plan for") and recovery time. But also: this is something I know I *can* do, but have never done.

As long as a Howell still has one table where both pairs move, you can add an appendix pair (or table). Make the N-S pair stationary at the highest number, and the extra pair sits out the first round. Everybody that comes to play at the new stationary pair's spot sits out that round.

If you have a full table show up late, the second pair fills the E-W phantom (and stays there) at the sitout table. Now you must have the two tables with "added" stationaries relay boards.

ACBLScor will do this for you (EDMOV, option 6) and tell you how to make it work. Other scoring systems? No idea, sorry.

Example: 5 Table, 9 round Howell. Pair 10 is stationary at table 3 and everyone else moves. If a late pair show up during the first round, make the pair at table 1 "pair 11", and they are now also stationary N-S. The new pair sits at table 6 N-S and takes the original 1N-S's pair number (and move pattern). Everyone who is supposed to sit 1 N-S is told to sit out and then go...

But if a second pair shows up late, you make them pair 12, put them stationary at 6 E-W, have them play as many boards as they can with the first late pair, and go on with the game. Table 1 and Table 6 share boards all night (or you make a second set for 6).