Hort system
The Hort system is a system introduced by the Czech-German chess grandmaster Vlastimil Hort for distributing cash prizes at chess tournaments according to the Swiss system among participants with equal points. It serves to counteract the often serious influences of fine scoring in chess in the area of prize money.
Determination of the distribution
Each player in the cash prize categories receives 50% of the prize money allocated for his seat. The remaining 50% of the prize money goes into a pot for the players with the same number of points and is divided equally among them. If a player was not tied with anyone else, he receives the entire pot, i.e. 100% of the prize money allocated for his seat.
As a rule, whole-number amounts are paid out.
example
The following prize money is announced:
- 1st prize 100 €
- 2nd prize 80 €
- 3rd prize € 60
- 4th prize 40 €
- 5th prize € 20
- 6th prize € 10
The winners arrive in the following order:
| Attendees | Points | Buchholz rating | advertised prize money | Keep 50% | pot | proportion of | total price |
| Player A | 8.0 | 71.0 | € 100.00 | € 50.00 | 90.00 € (50% each from 1st and 2nd place) |
45.00 € | € 95.00 |
| Player B | 8.0 | 70.5 | € 80.00 | € 40.00 | 90.00 € (50% each from 1st and 2nd place) |
45.00 € | € 85.00 |
| Player C | 7.5 | 68.0 | € 60.00 | not applicable because there is no division | € 60.00 | ||
| Player D | 7.0 | 68.5 | € 40.00 | € 20.00 | 35.00 € (33% each of 4th, 5th and 6th place) |
€ 12.00 | € 32.00 |
| Player E. | 7.0 | 67.0 | € 20.00 | € 10.00 | 35.00 € (33% each of 4th, 5th and 6th place) |
€ 12.00 | € 22.00 |
| Player F | 7.0 | 66.5 | € 10.00 | 5.00 € | 35.00 € (33% each of 4th, 5th and 6th place) |
€ 12.00 | € 17.00 |
effect
A prize distribution according to the Hort system means that the prize money is more based on the points scored by the players - more precisely, that
- the difference in the prize money of the tied players decreases and
- the gap in prize money between neighboring groups of tied players increases.