BLOKUS PALOOZA 2012

Classification System

Each player will be rated into one of three classes,
by playing level, roughly in accord with points level on blokus.com.

The classes are dubbed A, B, and C, with A representing the strongest players (called "seeds" last year).

All players will face opponents of all three classes,
with their six opponents divided among those three classes as (2,2,2) (1,2,3) or sometimes (1,1,4).

The emphasis will be on games within classes for A's and C's, minimizing, but not eliminating altogether, games between A's and C's. B's get no special treatment one way or the other.

This provides a little more of a challenge for the A's, keeps things the same as any other scheme for the B's, and gives the C's (we hope) a better playing experience.

For example, if there are 4 players at each level,

A's face: 3 A's, 2 B's, 1 C
B's face: 2 A's, 2 B's, 2 C's
C's face: 1 A, 2 B's, 3 C's.

For other numbers of players, and divisions among the classes, the balance is not quite so perfectly symmetrical, but as close as possible, without repeating any matchups*.

Below are links to the schedules for various numbers of players, divided up various ways into the three classes, showing in full detail how the games will be played:

Six Game Schedules:

8 Players: 233 323 332 422
9 Players: 234* 333 342* 342 432
10 Players: 235* 253* 325 352 352* 334 343 433
  244 424* 424 442* 442
11 Players: 344 434 443 335 353 533
12 Players: 345 354 435 453 534 543
  363 444 444
13 Players: 544 454 445 355 535 553
14 Players: 455 545 554 464 644
15 Players: 555 465
16 Players: 484

* - in some of these, where a class consists of just two players, a repeat matchup between them is included.

Eight Game Schedules:

These schedules are complete or near-complete round-robins of 8 games, and no quarter-finals.

9 Players: 333 342 432
10 Players: 433 343
11 Players: 434 443

This page describes the process for creating these schedules.


Tournament Format and Timetable

In a similar fashion to the 2011 Tournament in Toronto, the 2012 Blokus Palooza will be divided into two main phases:

  • Phase 1 - 6 games for all.

    Players will face 6 different opponents, of various strengths, with games divided equally between blue and yellow.

  • There are two differences from the Phase 1 of last year:
    • Two fewer games - 6 instead of 8, easing the time pressure.
    • Players classified into three, rather than just two, levels, to further balance games against all levels of opponents.
    Details of the classification system are at the right.

  • Phase 2 - Playoffs

  • The top 8, based on number of wins and margins of victory in Phase 1, continue with 3-round elimination bracket, each round consisting of a two-game match.

Timetable

The approximate timetable for the weekend will be:
  • Friday:
    • Checkin at UC starting at 3:00 PM
    • Evening: (6:00 - 10:00 PM)
      Dinner + 3 games

  • Saturday:
    • Morning: (9:30 - 12:00)
      3 games
    • Break for lunch
    • Afternoon: (1:00 - 4:00)
      3 games

    • (8 games in total to this point)

  • Sunday:
    • Morning: (10:00 - 11:30)
      Semi-finals (2 games)
    • Break for Lunch
    • Afternoon: (1:00 - 2:30)
      Finals (2 games)