There is a series of USCF scholastic tournaments run by a certain group of schools that accepts outside players as well. I've suspected for some time that they intentionally manipulate their swiss pairings to favor students in their schools either for tie break, or other purposes (such as increasing rating for their members). I recognize that Swiss pairings are tricky and have some complications (such as B vs W, avoiding teammates playing etc) but in one tournament in particular:
- They did not seed by rating. One of their "stars" who was lower rated than the highest rated started getting higher pairings.
- In a fourth round pairing, there were 4 players with 3 points. Rating 1 & 2 were team mates and their "star" was #3. #1 should play #3 and #2 should play #4. Instead #1 played #4 and #2 played #3.
- In the final round, rating #1 had 4 points (having lost in round 4) and there were 13 players with three points. The TD had #1 play #12 (in the 3.0 group). The TD claimed that in the final round ONLY they pair so that #1 would have the "best chance to win". The same TD claimed that earlier rounds are paired by looking at tie break score rather than rating (i.e., looking at the cumulative score of opponents) -- even though their own organization's documents claim they pair by using rating seeded methods.
The effect of these pairing oddities is that #1 gets a hard time on tie break whereas lower rated players got better tie breaks, even though my understanding is that the opposite should be true in general.
Question A: How much latitude do TD's have in pairings? Question B: Do these circumstances rise to the level of "pairing manipulation"? Question C: If the answer to B is "yes", what penalities/sanctions (if any) are available? Question D: If the answer to B is "yes", are there known/similar examples of such manipulation that have been exposed?
Added: In response to an answer below (thanks!), here is the cross table. I've removed names and IDs and slightly adjusted rating numbers to try to keep the tournament confidential. (None of the rating changes affect the order of initial rating).
Pair | Player Name |Total|Round|Round|Round|Round|Round|
Num | USCF ID / Rtg (Pre->Post) | Pts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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1 | |5.0 |W 7|W 16|W 30|W 4|W 5|
ZZZ| / R: 877 -> 1032 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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2 | |5.0 |W 10|W 19|W 20|W 24|W 9|
ZZZ| / R: 802 -> 931 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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3 | |4.0 |W 32|W 21|W 13|L 5|W 17|
ZZZ| / R: 945 -> 940 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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4 | |4.0 |W 46|W 18|W 14|L 1|W 12|
ZZZ| / R: 913 -> 929 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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5 | |4.0 |W 33|W 12|W 6|W 3|L 1|
ZZZ| / R: 761 -> 917 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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6 | |4.0 |W 37|W 17|L 5|W 22|W 15|
ZZZ| / R: 725 -> 797 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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7 | |4.0 |L 1|W 39|W 21|W 20|W 16|
ZZZ| / R: 463 -> 695 | |W |B |B |W |B |
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8 | |4.0 |W 41|L 30|W 34|W 13|W 18|
ZZZ| / R: 481 -> 642 | |B |W |B |W |W |
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9 | |3.5 |W 31|D 24|W 44|W 11|L 2|
ZZZ| / R: 758 -> 756 | |W |B |B |W |W |
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10 | |3.5 |L 2|D 52|W 35|W 26|W 28|
ZZZ| / R: 513 -> 523 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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11 | |3.5 |H |W 40|W 28|L 9|X |
ZZZ| / R: 152P22-> 348 | | |B |W |B | |
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12 | |3.0 |W 34|L 5|W 23|W 29|L 4|
ZZZ| / R: 811 -> 803 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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13 | |3.0 |W 35|W 25|L 3|L 8|W 31|
ZZZ| / R: 680 -> 681 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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14 | |3.0 |W 23|W 22|L 4|L 16|W 32|
ZZZ| / R: 668 -> 678 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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15 | |3.0 |W 45|W 29|L 24|W 30|L 6|
ZZZ| / R: 657 -> 672 | |B |W |B |W |W |
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16 | |3.0 |W 38|L 1|W 33|W 14|L 7|
ZZZ| / R: 637 -> 653 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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17 | |3.0 |W 49|L 6|W 43|W 40|L 3|
ZZZ| / R: 629 -> 626 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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18 | |3.0 |W 36|L 4|W 32|W 19|L 8|
ZZZ| / R: 598 -> 619 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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19 | |3.0 |W 52|L 2|W 37|L 18|W 30|
ZZZ| / R: 602 -> 605 | |W |B |W |B |B |
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20 | |3.0 |W 51|W 43|L 2|L 7|W 36|
ZZZ| / R: 616 -> 601 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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21 | |3.0 |W 39|L 3|L 7|W 44|W 34|
ZZZ| / R: 583 -> 578 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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22 | |3.0 |W 27|L 14|W 49|L 6|W 29|
ZZZ| / R: 548 -> 570 | |W |B |W |B |B |
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23 | |3.0 |L 14|W 31|L 12|W 49|W 40|
ZZZ| / R: 481 -> 538 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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24 | |2.5 |W 48|D 9|W 15|L 2|F |
ZZZ| / R: 725 -> 741 | |B |W |W |B | |
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25 | |2.5 |W 26|L 13|L 29|D 41|W 45|
ZZZ| / R: 719 -> 642 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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26 | |2.5 |L 25|D 35|W 42|L 10|W 41|
ZZZ| / R: 295P5 -> 336P10 | |W |B |W |W |B |
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27 | |2.5 |L 22|L 36|D 48|W 50|W 42|
ZZZ| / R: 228P5 -> 252P10 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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28 | |2.5 |D 40|W 50|L 11|W 45|L 10|
ZZZ| / R: 125P17-> 236P22 | |W |B |B |W |B |
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29 | |2.0 |W 42|L 15|W 25|L 12|L 22|
ZZZ| / R: 738 -> 668 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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30 | |2.0 |W 47|W 8|L 1|L 15|L 19|
ZZZ| / R: 667 -> 629 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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31 | |2.0 |L 9|L 23|W 52|W 47|L 13|
ZZZ| / R: 490 -> 456 | |B |W |W |B |B |
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32 | |2.0 |L 3|W 51|L 18|W 43|L 14|
ZZZ| / R: 436 -> 423 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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33 | |2.0 |L 5|W 41|L 16|L 34|W 44|
ZZZ| / R: 377P8-> 361P13 | |B |W |B |W |W |
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34 | |2.0 |L 12|W 47|L 8|W 33|L 21|
ZZZ| / R: 246P10 -> 330P15 | |W |B |W |B |B |
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35 | |2.0 |L 13|D 26|L 10|D 48|W 49|
ZZZ| / R: 280P9 -> 280P14 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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36 | |2.0 |L 18|W 27|L 40|W 46|L 20|
ZZZ| / R: 180 -> 266 | |W |B |W |B |B |
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37 | |2.0 |L 6|W 38|L 19|L 42|W 48|
ZZZ| / R: 188 -> 231 | |W |B |B |W |B |
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38 | |2.0 |L 16|L 37|L 47|W 51|W 46|
ZZZ| / R: Unrated-> 200P5 | |B |W |W |B |W |
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39 | |2.0 |L 21|L 7|L 46|W 52|W 47|
ZZZ| / R: 111P14-> 174P19 | |B |W |W |B |W |
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40 | |1.5 |D 28|L 11|W 36|L 17|L 23|
ZZZ| / R: 599 -> 483 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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41 | |1.5 |L 8|L 33|W 51|D 25|L 26|
ZZZ| / R: Unrated-> 262P5 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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42 | |1.5 |L 29|D 45|L 26|W 37|L 27|
ZZZ| / R: 296 -> 245 | |B |W |B |B |W |
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43 | |1.5 |B |L 20|L 17|L 32|D 50|
ZZZ| / R: 201P18-> 165P22 | | |W |B |W |B |
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44 | |1.5 |H |W 46|L 9|L 21|L 33|
ZZZ| / R: 130P21-> 155P25 | | |B |W |W |B |
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45 | |1.5 |L 15|D 42|W 50|L 28|L 25|
ZZZ| / R: 105P5 -> 135P10 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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46 | |1.0 |L 4|L 44|W 39|L 36|L 38|
ZZZ| / R: 448P5 -> 266P10 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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47 | |1.0 |L 30|L 34|W 38|L 31|L 39|
ZZZ| / R: 271P5 -> 200P10 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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48 | |1.0 |L 24|L 49|D 27|D 35|L 37|
ZZZ| / R: 255 -> 185 | |W |B |W |B |W |
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49 | |1.0 |L 17|W 48|L 22|L 23|L 35|
ZZZ| / R: 154P5 -> 173P10 | |B |W |B |W |W |
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50 | |1.0 |H |L 28|L 45|L 27|D 43|
ZZZ| / R: 188 -> 150 | | |W |B |B |W |
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51 | |1.0 |L 20|L 32|L 41|L 38|W 52|
ZZZ| / R: 139 -> 144 | |B |W |B |W |W |
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52 | |0.5 |L 19|D 10|L 31|L 39|L 51|
ZZZ| / R: 101P4 -> 104P9 | |B |W |B |W |B |
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