On Controlling Knockout Tournaments Without Perfect Information

TL;DR

This paper explores how to efficiently design single-elimination tournaments under imperfect information, providing the first fixed-parameter tractability results for more realistic, less deterministic scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces the first fixed-parameter algorithms for SE tournament design in settings with imperfect information, extending prior work beyond perfect information cases.

Findings

Identifies key properties enabling efficient tournament scheduling.

Develops fixed-parameter algorithms for imperfect information scenarios.

Extends algorithmic understanding of tournament design beyond perfect information.

Abstract

Over the last decade, extensive research has been conducted on the algorithmic aspects of designing single-elimination (SE) tournaments. Addressing natural questions of algorithmic tractability, we identify key properties of input instances that enable the tournament designer to efficiently schedule the tournament in a way that maximizes the chances of a preferred player winning. Much of the prior algorithmic work on this topic focuses on the perfect (complete and deterministic) information scenario, especially in the context of fixed-parameter algorithm design. Our contributions constitute the first fixed-parameter tractability results applicable to more general settings of SE tournament design with potential imperfect information.