Split a field into groups the naive way — count off players in rank order, four to a group — and you can end up with every strong player crammed into group A while group D plays for nothing. The fix is a seeding pattern table tennis organisers have used for decades: snake seeding.
This guide explains why naive seeding goes wrong, walks through the snake method step by step, and works a full 12-player example so you can copy the pattern for your own draw.
The problem: naive seeding stacks groups unfairly
Say you have 12 players ranked 1 (strongest) to 12 (weakest), and you want 3 groups of 4. The naive approach is to deal players into groups in strict rank order: seeds 1-4 go to group A, 5-8 to group B, 9-12 to group C.
That looks tidy, but it is the worst possible split. Group A now holds the four strongest players in the entire field, all fighting each other for one or two qualifying spots, while group C holds the four weakest, and whoever finishes top of group C can advance having barely been tested. The group stage stops measuring anything — it is decided by which group you were dropped into, not how you play.
The snake method: back-and-forth seeding
Snake seeding (also called boustrophedon seeding, after the ox-plowing pattern it mimics) fixes this by reversing direction every time it finishes a row across the groups, so the top seeds spread evenly instead of stacking into one group.
The rule: list your groups left to right (A, B, C, ...). Assign seed 1 to group A, seed 2 to group B, and so on across the row. When you reach the last group, reverse direction and assign the next seed to that same last group, then work back the other way. Keep alternating direction every row until every player has a group.
- Row 1 goes left to right: seed 1 → A, seed 2 → B, seed 3 → C.
- Row 2 goes right to left: seed 4 → C, seed 5 → B, seed 6 → A.
- Row 3 goes left to right again: seed 7 → A, seed 8 → B, seed 9 → C.
- Keep alternating until the field is placed. Every group ends up with a near-identical spread of strong, middle and weak seeds, instead of one stacked group.
Worked example: 12 players into 3 groups of 4
Take 12 players ranked 1 (strongest) to 12 (weakest) and 3 groups: A, B, C. Applying the back-and-forth pattern above over four rows gives:
- Row 1 (A → B → C): seed 1 → A, seed 2 → B, seed 3 → C
- Row 2 (C → B → A): seed 4 → C, seed 5 → B, seed 6 → A
- Row 3 (A → B → C): seed 7 → A, seed 8 → B, seed 9 → C
- Row 4 (C → B → A): seed 10 → C, seed 11 → B, seed 12 → A
- Final groups — A: seeds 1, 6, 7, 12. B: seeds 2, 5, 8, 11. C: seeds 3, 4, 9, 10.
- Compare that to the naive split (A: 1-4, B: 5-8, C: 9-12): every group now has one top-four seed, one bottom-four seed, and two from the middle, instead of the strongest four facing each other in a single group.
Snake seeding in a knockout bracket
The same principle applies once the field moves from groups into a single-elimination bracket: spread the top seeds across the bracket so the strongest players can only meet in later rounds, and give any byes (when the field is not a power of two, like 12 or 20) to the top seeds first, so nobody strong gets knocked out before playing a match.
Snake seeding — questions
What is snake seeding?
A way of assigning ranked players to groups so the strongest players spread out evenly instead of stacking into one group. Seeds are dealt across the groups left to right, then the direction reverses and the next row is dealt right to left, alternating for every row — like the path an ox plows a field, which is where the alternate name 'boustrophedon seeding' comes from.
Why not just split players into groups in rank order?
Dealing seeds 1-4 into group A, 5-8 into group B and so on packs all the strongest players into the first group and all the weakest into the last. The group stage then gets decided by which group you land in rather than how you play. Snake seeding spreads the strength evenly across every group instead.
Does snake seeding work for any number of groups or players?
Yes. The back-and-forth pattern works for any number of groups and any field size — it just alternates direction after each full row of groups is filled. Uneven groups (for example 13 players into 3 groups) still follow the same pattern; the last group to fill in a row simply ends up one player smaller.
How do I seed a knockout bracket, not groups?
The goal is the same — keep the strongest players apart until later rounds — but the mechanics differ: top seeds are placed at opposite ends of the bracket, and any byes (needed when the field isn't a power of two) go to the highest seeds first.
Do I need to rank every player exactly to use snake seeding?
No. A rough order — club rating, a recent result, or even a quick estimate — is enough to get the benefit. Snake seeding only needs a relative order, not a precise rating system.