Upfloat

An upfloat occurs when a player from a lower scoregroup plays an opponent from a higher one. In the pairing structure, the player has effectively been moved upward to complete a pairing across different scoregroups.

In the FIDE Dutch system, after two players with different scores meet, the lower-ranked player in that pair receives an upfloat and the other player receives a downfloat. The mark can matter in later rounds because the system's criteria try to limit certain repeated floats when better legal alternatives exist.

Upfloat describes the pairing, not the expected result of the game. It gives no points, color advantage or special privilege.