Type judge 1's placements down the column, then judge 2's.
How relative placement works
Each judge ranks every couple: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on, with no ties. Raw scores only set that order. Then the columns are read one at a time: how many judges placed a couple 1st, how many 1st or 2nd, how many 1st to 3rd.
A couple is placed as soon as a majority of judges (3 of 5, 4 of 7) has them at or above that column. If two couples reach a majority in the same column, the larger majority goes first. The same majority goes to the lower sum of those placements, then to the next column. Couples still level at the end are compared head to head: the one placed higher by more judges wins.
The WSDC's explainer works through a 12-couple final with 7 judges and a Chief Judge, where the couple with the most 1st places finishes 2nd.
Questions
What is relative placement scoring?
Each judge ranks every couple from 1st down. A couple is placed as soon as a majority of judges ranks them at or above the place being decided. Raw scores only matter for the order they give, so one judge's high or low numbers cannot swing the result.
Why did the couple with the most 1st places not win?
Three 1sts out of seven judges is not a majority. If another couple has four or more judges at 2nd or better before anyone has four 1sts, that couple wins. The WSDC guide's own example works out exactly this way.
How are ties broken in relative placement?
The larger majority places first. With the same majority, the lower sum of those placements wins. If that ties too, compare the next column, then the next. A tie to the end goes head to head: whichever couple most judges ranked higher. The WSDC text describes this for two couples; with three or more, the calculator compares them pair by pair and says so. Couples who beat each other in a circle share the place.
What does the Chief Judge's column do?
Nothing, normally. The WSDC guide uses the Chief Judge's scores only to replace a judge whose scores are unusable, or as a judge when the panel is short. Choose that judge in the Chief Judge replaces box. If three or more couples beat each other in a circle head to head, the guide has no rule, so the place is shown as shared for the Chief Judge or organiser to settle.
Can I type raw scores instead of placements?
Yes. Choose Raw scores and type each judge's numbers; higher is better. They are turned into placements for you. Two equal scores from one judge are flagged, because each judge must rank every couple differently.
How many judges does a WSDC final need?
At least five plus the Chief Judge, and never an even number. Tier 5 and 6 contests use seven. Five judges need three for a majority, seven need four.
Method from the WSDC's Unraveling the Mystery of the Relative Placement Scoring System (Jim Tigges); judge numbers from the WSDC Registry Event Rules. Ballroom and Latin finals: skating system calculator.