Group draw
The question always arrives at the same moment: everybody is there, you have the count, and a draw has to exist within two minutes. Below is what comes out per entry count — the table is calculated with the same code darttournament.app runs, so what you see here is literally what the app does.
Take the number of players, divide by the group size you want and round down: that is your number of groups. Then spread the players as evenly as possible, smallest group first. If a group comes out larger than six, add a group; if one comes out smaller than three, take one away. That is all there is to it — and because it is that simple, you do not have to think about it on the night.
Based on the default setting: preferred group size five, top two per group through to the knockout. The highlighted rows give a full knockout with no byes.
| Players | Groups | Group sizes | Qualifiers | Knockout | Byes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2 | 2×6 | 4 | full bracket | none |
| 13 | 3 | 2×4, 1×5 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 14 | 3 | 1×4, 2×5 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 15 | 3 | 3×5 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 16 | 3 | 2×5, 1×6 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 17 | 3 | 1×5, 2×6 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 18 | 3 | 3×6 | 6 | last 8 | 2 |
| 19 | 4 | 1×4, 3×5 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 20 | 4 | 4×5 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 21 | 4 | 3×5, 1×6 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 22 | 4 | 2×5, 2×6 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 23 | 4 | 1×5, 3×6 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 24 | 4 | 4×6 | 8 | full bracket | none |
| 25 | 5 | 5×5 | 10 | last 16 | 6 |
| 26 | 5 | 4×5, 1×6 | 10 | last 16 | 6 |
| 27 | 5 | 3×5, 2×6 | 10 | last 16 | 6 |
| 28 | 5 | 2×5, 3×6 | 10 | last 16 | 6 |
| 29 | 5 | 1×5, 4×6 | 10 | last 16 | 6 |
| 30 | 6 | 6×5 | 12 | last 16 | 4 |
| 31 | 6 | 5×5, 1×6 | 12 | last 16 | 4 |
| 32 | 6 | 4×5, 2×6 | 12 | last 16 | 4 |
Byes are not a problem, but they are dull: whoever gets one stands around for a round while the rest throw. Between twenty and twenty-four players they do not occur at all.
With twenty players, a preferred size of four gives five groups and therefore ten qualifiers. Ten does not fit a bracket: the next size up is sixteen, so six players get a bye and only two matches remain in the first round. Three boards stand idle for a quarter of an hour.
Those same twenty players with size five give four groups, eight qualifiers and a full quarter-final. Everyone who goes through plays straight away, every board is busy, and the difference in group matches is one per player. That is why the default is five.
Best-of-3 in the groups, best-of-5 in the knockout and best-of-7 for the final is an evening that finishes around eleven. If you want it shorter, keep the groups at best-of-3 and put the knockout on three legs too; with twenty-two players that saves roughly forty minutes.
The order is fixed: points, then leg difference, then legs won, then the head-to-head result. If it is still level after that, the two throw a single leg to decide. In groups B and C of Open Darts three players finished on six points; leg difference settled the places.
Group winners against runners-up, and never two players from the same group against each other in the first round. Those two have just played; that is not a fun match for anybody.
Paste the list of names, pick a group size, and the draw is there — along with the schedule, the board assignment and the knockout bracket that follows. It is not on sale yet; leave your address and you will hear when it is.