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From: Jacob_Palme_QZ@QZCOM.MAILNET
Newsgroups: mod.computers.workstations
Subject: Subject: League planning
Message-ID: <144936@QZCOM>
Date: Sat, 11-Jan-86 15:13:15 EST
Article-I.D.: QZCOM.144936
Posted: Sat Jan 11 15:13:15 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Jan-86 06:01:43 EST
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Reply-To: Jacob_Palme_QZ%QZCOM.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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Approved: works@red.rutgers.edu

I have a programming problem I have not been able to solve. Perhaps
someone else has already solved it?

My problem is that I want to make a plan for a league of teams to
play e.g. soccer or ice-hockey.

Such a league consists of an even number of teams, between 4 and 18
teams in a league. Each team is to meet each other team twice, one at
home and one at home of the other team.

Thus, the number of days will be N*(N-1)*2 if N is the number of
teams. Each day, N/2 games will be played between the teams.

Additional restrictions: As much as possible, every second day for a
team should be a game at home and every second a game at home for the
other team. At least, a team should never have to play three games in
succession at home or not at home.

Also, if two teams from the same city meet, then a possible third
team from the same city should not play at home the same day.

Meetings between teams from the same city should not be in the
beginning and the end of the league.

Does anyone know of any existing software, public or commercial,
which solves this problem? Or does anyone know of a good algorithm.

I have tried with heuristic problem solving techniques, and can get
it working for small leagues of up to 8 teams, but can not get my
program to converge on an acceptable solution for larger league
sizes.