Horseshoes doubles, and other games two against two
4pgno pairs horseshoes players two against two, round after round, assigns each game a pit, and shows each player, on their own phone, where to go and who they are playing with. The same works for table tennis doubles, petanque, lawn bowls, darts doubles, bowling doubles and golf two-person scramble, each in its own words: a lane for bowling, a board for darts, a rink for lawn bowls.
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- Assignment of players in each game is based on who is present and available to play. A late arrival is placed as soon as a spot opens, and anyone stepping away is left out until they are back.
- No repeat partners. Every round is calculated to keep anyone from having the same partner twice in one day.
- Printed pairings. When everyone has committed, the rounds are planned ahead and printed, with an index where each player finds their name.
Pit assignment based on who is present and available
No one has to say ahead of time whether they are coming. The first player to check in opens round 1, and each later round's pairings are made when the coordinator starts it, from whoever is there and playing.
Someone who arrives during a round is placed at once at a pit with a spot open, or at one not yet in use once four are waiting, but otherwise will play in the next round. Someone stepping away or leaving for the day taps "I'm not playing" on their phone and is left out until they tap "I'm back", then plays from the next round.
Four play at each pit, two against two. When there is no pit of four for everyone, because the number of people is not a multiple of four or every pit is full, some players are off a round. Who plays:
- Fewer than four who are not pinned off: whoever has played the fewest games plays first, then whoever was off last round, then whoever arrived first.
- Four or more: when possible, nobody has played more than one game more than anyone else, and the site limits how many rounds in a row anyone is off or plays.
No repeat partners
No one has the same partner twice in one day, and the site also avoids putting anyone in a game with the same people again. A long enough day can make a repeat unavoidable; the coordinator's page shows a note when that happens.
Printed pairings
For a day when everyone has committed to being there from the start, the coordinator enters the names, plans the rounds and prints the pairings before anyone arrives: each round's pits, who is off, and an index where each player finds their pit in every round.
Round 1 then starts when the coordinator starts it, not at the first check-in. If the people present change, the remaining rounds are paired again from whoever is there.
The pits on a screen
A television or any big screen can show every pit in the round in progress, large enough to read across the grounds or the hall.
Pinning a player to a pit, names entered ahead and everything else are described in How 4pgno works.
Questions or ideas about the site: info@4pgno.com.