In Honinbo Main Title Tournament 2014 almost all groups have 10 players but there is one group with only 8 players. Why is that? Isn’t it unfair?
It’s just the way group sizes have been calculated in this case, shouldn’t be unfair?
I think the point is the group sizes shouldn’t be differed by more than 1 (and more generally, the number of games a player plays in all 3 rounds). In the extreme case, a player from the group of 8 players can’t get the first place even if he wins all the games in three rounds (including beating all the strongest players), just because he plays two (or even more) fewer games than the others who have been placed in a group of 10 players.
Here’s another example: (Kuksu Nines 18th Cycle) http://online-go.com/tournament/2498. The tournament type has been converted from League to Simultaneous McMahon after Round 1, but the sizes of groups in Round 1 ranged from 5 to 10, making it almost impossible for players from smaller groups to get to the place they deserve.
One solution could be adding some virtual players (e.g. bots or just byes) to balance all the groups.
There is already the end of 2020 but the problem is still here. I think it can really spoil the tournament for those who get into the small group.