Round-robin

In general, round-robin refers to a pattern or ordering whereby items are encountered or processed sequentially, often beginning again at the start in a circular manner.

Round-robin may refer to:

Round-robin (document)

Round-robin is a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified.

Origin

The term dates from the 17th-century French ruban rond (round ribbon). This described the practice of signatories to petitions against authority (usually Government officials petitioning the Crown) appending their names on a document in a non-hierarchical circle or ribbon pattern (and so disguising the order in which they have signed) so that none may be identified as a ringleader.

This practice was adopted by sailors petitioning officers in the Royal Navy (first recorded 1731).

Spanish–American War

A round robin letter was authored in Cuba after the cessation of hostilities in 1898 by a committee of 10 brigade commanders of the American Army's V Corps including acting brigade commander, Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish–American War. This letter was leaked to the press and embarrassed the administration of US President William McKinley to accelerate the departure of the American Army back to the United States during the rainy disease-plagued summer season.

Round-robin tournament

A round-robin tournament (or all-play-all tournament) is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn". It contrasts with an elimination tournament.

Terminology

The term round-robin is derived from the French term ruban, meaning "ribbon". Over a long period of time, the term was corrupted and idiomized to robin.

In a single round-robin schedule, each participant plays every other participant once. If each participant plays all others twice, this is frequently called a double round-robin. The term is rarely used when all participants play one another more than twice, and is never used when one participant plays others an unequal number of times (as is the case in almost all of the major United States professional sports leagues – see AFL (1940–41) and All-America Football Conference for exceptions).

In the United Kingdom, a round-robin tournament is often called an American tournament in sports such as tennis or billiards which usually have knockout tournaments. In Italian it is called girone all'italiana (literally "Italian-style circuit"). In Serbian it is called the Berger system (Бергеров систем, Bergerov sistem), after chess player Johann Berger. A round-robin tournament with four players is sometimes called "quad" or "foursome".