Knockout tournament in Starters 146 Div 4

general
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Hi @emperor100 @admin

I think there is a huge flaw in the 2nd bullet point of Knockout tournament problem statement in Starters 146 Division 4. It says:

“The winners of these 8 matches proceed to the next round, while the losers are eliminated.”

I think they will just lose and not get eliminated from the match.

If 8 are eliminated in first round itself, the answer (wins for ith player) cannot be:
“3 3 4 3 1 3 3 0 2 3 2 2 1 3 2 3” or (in descending order) 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 0
since the answer must have 8 zeros at least if the above is true.

I think whoever submitted correctly must have past experience with the similar question or didn’t read the question strongly enough or just went with the example and assumed it. Anyways, please clarify this.

Also, please tell me the author’s intention of pairing optimally. Usually it is “highest skill to lowest” and “next highest skill to next lowest” in tournaments. Am I correct in assuming the same for this problem statement?

Thanks in advance.

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For each player i, find the maximum number of matches the player can win in the tournament if the initial pairings are made optimally.

You are supposed to come up with the initial pairings for each of them to win maximum matches. The pairing you make in the beginning does not apply for everyone, obviously.

“Pairing optimally” means arranging matches to maximise each player’s potential wins, not necessarily in strict skill order.

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It seems we have to assume it is optimally paired for each individual and proceed (if not literally possible).

I wanted to edit this line in the end of my post, but it was too late. Anyways, got it. Thanks for the prompt response. @suman_18733097