Color allocation

Color allocation answers a different question from who plays whom. Once a pair has been formed, the system must decide which player has White and which has Black. In FIDE Swiss systems, this follows ordered rules designed to satisfy both players' color needs as far as possible.

A color preference indicates which color a player should ideally receive in the next round based on previous games. The rules consider factors such as the difference between games played with White and Black, avoiding excessive runs of the same color and, when preferences do not settle the case, alternating from relevant previous colors or applying system priorities.

Therefore, simply having played more games with Black does not automatically guarantee White next. Color allocation has to coexist with the other pairing constraints, and the system specifies priorities for resolving conflicts.