Julie Bailey wrote: > This weekend (August 10) I am running a small tennis tournament on 4 > grass tennis courts. I have 32 players - 16 women and 16 men. I would > like them to play mixed doubles with every round the mixed doubles teams > get a different partner. Okay, I've got you a "movement", as the bridge players call it. Because I have put quite a bit of time into the program that does this, I require that you give me credit any time you use this movement, even though you'll probably make it look much prettier. Put this somewhere on it: Movement generated by Paul Chamberlain (tif@tifster.com) Your particular problem turned out to not be very difficult for the computer to solve (although I understand how tough it can be to do it with pen and paper, I've tried). What I do is I assign a letter to each player. In your case, I also had to assign numbers since you went over 26. Male players would be A, C, E, G, etc., and female players would be B, D, F, H, etc. Each line represents one "round" and each grouping represents one "court". V32Q EF6M NURI DAXW CT1H Y4L5 OJKB GZSP 4GBE NA16 HSQJ CPLU YZ2O VWKF R5MX DI3T RAFY 5PBI EX3L OHMV JGU6 1D2S Q4WT KZCN KDH5 XOTU M4C2 LGQF NSWB ZIAJ P36Y R1VE L1MZ J3RW APTK 25NE I4SF OD6Q XGCV BUHY This means that player V (female) and player 3 (male) are partners playing against player 2 (female) and player Q (male) the first round and on the first court. And so on... Now I didn't check every single one of the partnerships to make sure they're always male/female, but I did do a spot check. Below is some analysis that my program does. Since the program easily met your requirements it also tried to keep people from playing on the same court all the time. I hope you have fun this weekend, and I hope that your participants enjoy how well the movement works out. -- Paul Chamberlain, tif@tifster.com Number of times each player "sees" each other A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 A . 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 B 0 . 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 C 0 0 . 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 D 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 E 0 1 0 0 . 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 F 1 0 0 0 1 . 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 G 0 1 1 0 1 1 . 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 H 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 . 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 I 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 J 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 . 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 K 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 . 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 L 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 . 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 M 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 . 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 N 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 O 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 . 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 P 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 . 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 Q 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 . 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 R 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 . 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 S 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 . 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 T 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 . 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 U 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 . 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 V 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 . 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 W 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 . 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 X 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Y 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 . 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 Z 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 . 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 . 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 . 0 0 1 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 . 1 0 5 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 . 0 6 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 . Number of time each player is a partner with another A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 A . 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 B 0 . 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 C 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 D 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 E 0 1 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 F 0 0 0 0 1 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 G 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 I 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 J 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 K 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 M 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 N 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 P 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 Q 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 S 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 T 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 U 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 V 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 W 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 . 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 Z 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 . 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 . Number of assignments to each court A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 #1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 #2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 #3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 #4 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 #5 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 #6 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 #7 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 #8 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0