WinTD has the ability to properly compute monetary prize distributions for almost combination of prizes. See How To: Compute Prize Distributions. This explains the method used. (For simple prize funds, you can probably do this yourself following the discussion below).

 

Monetary prizes are almost always in one of the following categories:

 

•Available to all players (“Overall”)

•Restricted to all players with ratings below a certain level (“Under” prizes)

•Restricted to all players with ratings limited on both ends (“Class” prizes)

•Restricted to unrated players only

•Restricted to all players in a specific group not defined by rating, such as woman, youth or senior.

 

If the only prizes are overalls, it’s a simple procedure to divide up the money. You start from the top score group. Take one prize per player with that score, starting with the highest prize available, until you’ve run out of either players or prizes. Sum the dollar amount and divide by the number of players in the score group. Each player gets that amount. Continue with the next score group and do the same with the remaining prizes; continue this as long as there are still unclaimed prizes.

 

The process gets more complicated if you have some of the other types of prizes. Even in the first score group, you may have some players eligible for prizes which can’t be claimed by others in the group. The basic technique is still one of summing and dividing; however, it may be necessary to look at subgroups within the group. Take, for instance, a situation where there are available $300 and $200 overall prizes and a $150 youth prize. Suppose first that there are four players tied, with one of them qualifying for the youth prize. If we sum the amounts that the players can “bring in,” we get $650. Divided by four gives $162.50 each. Since this is more than the youth player would get by taking just the youth prize, the $162.50 each is the correct way to distribute the prizes in this score group. Note, by the way, that all four players, in effect, "share" the youth prize. This confuses a lot of people, but in this case it is the only way to fairly distribute the money available, as the youth player is entitled to a fair share of the more valuable overall prizes.

Now suppose that there are five players, and again only one is eligible for the youth prize. Adding and dividing gives $130 per person. Here, the youth player is better off taking the youth prize alone and staying out of the overall money. If we give the two big money prizes to the other four, they each get $125, with the youth player receiving $150. The key to doing this calculation correctly is to set one group aside and let the others take as much money as they can. If the group set aside does better by taking only the money they can win from the leftovers than they do as part of an even division of all the prizes available, then they should be awarded the higher amount.

The task of analyzing groups is simplest if the prizes are all either overall or “under.” It can be a bit more complicated when you use class or special group prizes. Note, by the way, that the use of “under” prizes is considered fairer than strict class prizes. If your prizes are $100 A, $80 B; and a B player scores the same (or more!) than the top A, the B player will end up with less money than the A player. If, on the other hand, the prize fund is $100 U2000, $80 U1800, the B player tying with the top A player would get a share of each, receiving $90. A B player outscoring the A players would get the $100 U2000 prize.

 

To look at a very messy example which can be created by the use of class and group prizes, suppose that there are four prizes: W is $100, X is $90, Y is $80 and Z is $70. Suppose that player 1 is eligible for W and X, 2 is eligible for X and Y, 3 is eligible for Y and Z and 4 is eligible for Z and W. The group can bring in all four prizes, so summing and dividing gives $85 each. Now, the question is, can any coalition within the group do better than this? The coalitions which must be examined are the sets of players eligible for various prizes, and the unions of those sets. For the single prizes, these sets are {1,4} (for prize W), {1,2}, {2,3} and {3,4}. For combined prizes, you have {1,2,3}, {1,2,4}, {1,3,4} and {2,3,4}. We’ll look at a couple of these in detail. Take {1,4} for instance. If we give 2 and 3 the first shot, 2 will bring in $90 for X and 3 will bring in $80 for Y. 1 and 4 would be left with $100+$70, giving both $85, so they aren’t better off. Now look at {1,2,4}. The only player outside the coalition is 3, who can do no better than the $80 Y prize by himself. This gives $100+$90+$70 for {1,2,4}, giving them each $86.67. This turns out to be the only coalition which improves on the $85 equal split, so this is the proper way to divide the money.

Copyright © 2026 Thomas Doan