From: http://www.chess.com/tournaments/help.html#tiebreak
What happens when there is a tied score? And what is the Tie Break?
If 2 players in a group have the same score then both will advance. Tournament Directors can choose to use an additional tie-break method (we use the Neustadtl score) which factors in the strength of the opponents. If two players have the same score and the same Tie Break score, both will advance.
Below is an example of how the tie breaking system works:
| Group #-- | 1 | 2 | 3 | Points | Tie Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bob | X | 0 1 | 1 1 | 3 | 4.5 |
| 2. Mary | 0 1 | X | 0 0.5 | 1.5 | 3.75 |
| 3. John | 0 0 | 0.5 1 | X | 1.5 | 2.25 |
A player's tiebreak score is calculated by adding the sum of the player's points they have defeated to half the sum of the player's points they have drawn against.
Bob won one game against Mary and two games against John. So Bob gets 1x1.5 points from Mary and 2 x 1.5 points from John, which sums up to 4.5 tiebreak points.
Mary won one game against Bob and drew one game against John. So Mary gets 1x3.0 points from Bob and 0.5x1.5 points from John, which sums up to 3.75 tiebreak points.
John won one game and drew one game against Mary. So John gets 1.5x1.5 points from Mary, which sums up to 2.25 tiebreak points.
Hope this helps.
Will someone please explain the tiebreak rules and points p
Many thanks