Rule change: you no longer need a partner to enter a doubles event

From the autumn stages onward, a doubles entry no longer has to name a partner. Enter as "partner wanted" and the office pairs you with another single entry of a similar grade before the draw is made.

The change comes from the entry data. Across the season, roughly one entry in eight arrived with a note asking whether somebody was looking for a partner, and a good number of those players never entered at all. Grades already sort the field by standard, so pairing across a grade is far less risky than it would have been under an open draw.

Two practical details. First, if no pairing can be made, the fee for that event is refunded in full — you are never charged for an event you could not play. Second, pairings are made before seeding, so an office-made pair is seeded on its combined record like any other.

The wording is in the updated regulations on the documents page.