N.7. Colour allocation
N.7.1 Team pairings are made without regard of colour. (This has the advantage of providing more accurate team pairings with fewer rules being necessary relating to selection of opponents and dropping of one team from an odd numbered group of teams with the same score).
N.7.2 In the first round the colour assigned to board 1 of the team ranked number 1 shall be selected by lot. All other odd numbers in the top half of the ranking list shall receive the same colour in the first round on board 1 as the team ranked number 1.
N.7.3.1 No team’s board 1 colour difference will become >+2 or <-2.
N.7.3.2 No team’s board 1 will receive the same colour three times in row.
N.7.4.1 If in a score group a complete pairing is only possible without applying rule 7.3.1 or 7.3.2, such a pairing will then be made.
N.7.4.2 If in an odd score group a complete pairing is only possible by choosing another floater, another floater will be chosen.
N.7.5 After the team pairings have been made, colours shall be assigned based on giving priority to:
N.7.5.1 equalisation of colours on board 1 (regardless of who has played or is playing board 1 and regardless of what colours the particular player assigned to board 1 has had), and
N.7.5.2 Alternation of colours on board 1. The colours on the remaining board shall alternate with the player on board 3 having the same colour as the player on board 1.
N.7.6 If both teams have had white the same number of times on board 1 and have had opposite colours on board 1 in the immediately preceding round the colours shall be assigned to board 1 to provide alternation for each team from the colour it had in the previous round.
N.7.7 If both teams have had white the same number of times on board 1 the colours shall be assigned to board 1 to provide the lowest sequence of the same colour for both teams.
N.7.8 If both teams have had white the same number of times on board 1 and have had exactly the same sequence of colours, then priority shall be given to:
(a) balancing the colour on board 1 of the team with the higher ranked team, or
(b) alternation of colour on board 1 of the higher ranked team from the last round.
N.7.9 If both teams have had white the same number of times on board 1 and have had exactly the same sequence of colours, and each team has had the same number of whites and blacks on board 1, then the colour on board 1 of the higher ranked team shall be alternated from the last round.
N.7.10 The teams ranked first in the pairing list will have the white pieces on the odd-numbered boards, the black pieces on the even-numbered boards.