Vanilla Pairings

Checking the vanilla pairings checkbox in the pairings setup dialog tells SwissSys to make absolutely no changes to the expected pairing order. In other words, there will be no swapping of players to improve colors or even to avoid illegal rematches.

Purpose and limitations

This option is intended for fun, practice, and double-checking only. For this reason the box is always unchecked when you enter the setup dialog.

Furthermore, it is not available as an option in FIDE mode.

Testing your understanding

To test your understanding of the USCF pairing rules, try using this option, together with the “switch” feature of the pair chart, to set your own pairings.

Then redo the pairings as usual (i.e., without vanilla pairings) and compare your results to what SwissSys gives you.

When you do this, consider also setting the “extra player info” option (in the pair chart formatting options) to “package”. This will make it easier to see what colors, ratings, and floats you are working with. A right button mouse click in the pair chart will give you access to other player details as well.