MD Chess awards trophies to tied players (players with the same final score) in descending order according to US Chess's 4 most standard tiebreak methods—not according to the players' post-tournament unofficial US-Chess ratings. That's why there can frequently be a discrepancy between how players with tied scores are ranked in MD Chess's crosstables (where tied players are listed in descending order of their tiebreaks) and in US Chess's crosstables (where tied players are listed in descending order of their subsequent unofficial US-Chess rating).

Here's a sample of MD Chess's crosstables:

#

Name

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Tot

TBrk[M]

TBrk[S]

TBrk[C]

TBrk[O]

1

Player A

W9 (w)

W2 (b)

D5 (w)

D3 (b)

3

8.5

9.5

8.5

23.5

2

Player B

W4 (b)

L1 (w)

W6 (b)

W8 (w)

3

8

9

7

24

3

Player C

D6 (b)

W7 (w)

W8 (b)

D1 (w)

3

6.5

7.5

7.5

20.5

4

Player D

L2 (w)

W10 (b)

W9 (w)

W5 (b)

3

6.5

6.5

6

16

5

Player E

W7 (b)

W8 (w)

D1 (b)

L4 (w)

2.5

7.5

8.5

8

21

6

Player F

D3 (w)

W9 (b)

L2 (w)

D7 (b)

2

4.5

8.5

5.5

18

7

Player G

L5 (w)

L3 (b)

W10 (w)

D6 (w)

1.5

4.5

7.5

2.5

21

8

Player H

W10 (w)

L5 (b)

L3 (w)

L2 (b)

1

5.5

8.5

4

22.5

9

Player I

L1 (b)

L6 (w)

L4 (b)

W10 (w)

1

5

8

1

20

10

Player J

L8 (b)

L4 (w)

L7 (b)

L9 (b)

0

3.5

6.5

0

13.5

From left to right, the 4 tiebreak methods are listed in descending order of importance. Tied players are ranked initially according to the 1st tiebreak method (TBrk[M]); if they remain tied there, then they are ranked secondarily according to the 2nd tiebreak method (TBrk[S]); … 3rd tiebreak method (TBrk[C]); … 4th tiebreak method (TBrk[O]).

1. TBrk[M] : Modified Median
The sum of a player's opponents' scores with the following modifications:

      • If a player has a positive score (≥2.5/4), then subtract the lowest opponent's score;
      • If a player has an even score (2/4), then subtract both the lowest & the highest opponents' scores;
      • If a player has a negative score (≤1.5/4), then subtract the highest opponent's score.

If an opponent received a full-point (1) bye (B) for an unplayed game in a round, then the opponent's score for that round counts as a half-point (.5). (When there is an odd # of players in a section, 1 player cannot be paired during a round and receives a full-point bye for the unplayed game; that player will usually be the lowest-rated player in the lowest score group.)

Exception: In a section with only 1 or 2 rounds, Modified Median will revert from the most important (1st) to the least important (4th) tiebreak method.

2. TBrk[S] : Solkoff
The sum of a player's opponents' scores without the modifications applied in the Modified Median tiebreak method.

If an opponent received a full-point (1) bye (B) for an unplayed game in a round, then the opponent's score for that round counts as a half-point (.5). (When there is an odd # of players in a section, 1 player cannot be paired during a round and receives a full-point bye for the unplayed game; that player will usually be the lowest-rated player in the lowest score group.)

3. TBrk[C] : Cumulative
The sum of a player's total score at the end of each round.

Subtract 1 point for any round in which the player received a full-point (1) bye (B).

4. TBrk[O] : Cumulative of Opposition
The sum of all opponents' cumulative scores.

To learn more about US Chess's tiebreak methods, click on the links below:

To review a player's results at MD Chess's scholastic chess tournaments, click on any tournament-announcement page on MD Chess's home page, scroll down to the following crosstables, & then locate the specific tournament:

Results of the Tournament