Points percentage

In a group tournament, unlike a knockout tournament, there is no scheduled decisive final match. Instead, all the competitors are ranked by examining the results of all the matches played in the tournament. Points are awarded for each match, with competitors ranked based either on total number of points or average points per match. Usually (though not always, e.g. the 1895 County Championship in English cricket) each competitor plays an equal number of matches, in which case rankings by total points and by average points are equivalent.

In several leagues and competitions, like the National Hockey League, league tables during the regular season are also determined by points. Since this calculation is not based solely on wins and losses, like winning percentage or games behind, the statistic is also known as points percentage.

In two-competitor games where ties are rare or impossible, competitors are typically ranked by number of wins, with ties counting half; each competitor's listings are usually ordered wins–losses(–ties). (In such games a games behind figure is sometimes included in listings for a tournament still in progress, to allow comparison of competitors who have not completed the same proportion of their allotted matches.) Giving a half-point for a draw in chess was introduced in 1868 by the British Chess Association; previously, drawn games in chess tournaments were replayed. Where draws are more common, the award may be 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw, which is mathematically equivalent but avoids having half-points in the listings. These are usually ordered wins–draws–losses. If there are more than 2 competitors per match, points may be ordinal—for example, 3 for first, 2 for second, 1 for third. An extreme example of this is Formula One, where the top ten racers in each Grand Prix are given 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 respectively.

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