AMERICA’S CUP UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Tiebreaking Criteria Enough to Confound Sharpest of Minds

The defenders’ trials have come down to the wire, with two berths in the finals starting April 18 at stake.

Kanza has five victories, Stars & Stripes four and America 3 three. Stars & Stripes can assure itself of at least a Monday sailoff by beating Kanza today.

Failing that, it can clinch a berth in the finals outright by beating A3 Saturday. A3 is scheduled to end the round against Kanza Sunday, unless Stars & Stripes clinches a berth first. Bill Koch then would decide which boat to put into the finals, which start April 18.

Or, Stars & Stripes can lose its last two races and still get a sailoff with A3 if Kanza beats A3 Sunday--obviously, a remote possibility.

The tiebreaking system is more complex than the NFL formula, which baffles rocket scientists. If you don’t want a migraine, stop reading now. Otherwise, this is how it works:

If the series ends in a three-way tie at five wins each, A3 gets a finals berth automatically for winning five races outright. Two of Kanza’s wins and one of Stars & Stripes’ were bonuses for placing one-two in the points rounds, and bonus wins don’t count in a first-place tie.

But bonus victories do count in a second-place tie. Don’t ask why. That’s just the way it is. Stars & Stripes would sail off against Kanza.

Or, depending on how the races go the next three days, Stars & Stripes could even sail off against A3. You now have all the information you need to figure out how.