I also think that a qualifying round of eight games is better than two
qualifying rounds of four games, because
a) it insures every player will play at least eight games
b) it gives the players more flexibility for entering each move, say five
days before beginning to consume time units
c) all games retain full weight (in the proposed scheme, players are
induced to keep their favorite games for the second round, when the
qualifying spots will be much harder to secure, especially if there are
nine or ten entrants).