The usual systems for club championships are "Swiss" and "Full Round" with known problems. In the Swiss system, for example, rounds cannot be drawn or can only be drawn under assumptions because results are still missing. In full-round tournaments you often get "skewed" tables because some participants play little; at some point they are zeroed, but that doesn't make it any better.
But there is an alternative! It is "completely different" and therefore unusual, but it has been practiced successfully in other countries for a long time - the Keizer system.
The Keizer system is not very well known, and there are few examples or explanations on the Internet. These are often provided with dauntingly complex calculations, therefore first of all: it is simple! Easy to use and very practical for club operations. The calculations are indeed difficult - but a software - this one - does that for us.
How does it work roughly?
- The draw of pairings takes place directly before the start of the round based on the players present.
- Each player has a rating score, which determines the table rank.
- You play against partners with similar standings.
- A win or draw increases your own score significantly.
- Absent players also get points, just not as much.
- There may be several games between the same players, but it is not a must.
Some explanations...
Regarding 1: you just come and play; no prior coordination between participants is required! There are no disappointments because of absent opponents.
To 2: it takes some getting used to, because the points are not so easy to calculate. However: points+buchholz are more easier to undertand, but therefore by far not fairer!
To 3: similar table standings mean about equal opponents; games 2000 against 1400, attribute "result is clear" occur much less.
To 5: this is a clever detail, because occasional absence does not throw you out of the race. You can perhaps think of it as an "absence draw", only the point gain is (usually) less than a real, played draw. There are different bonuses, which can be adjusted flexibly.
The draw of pairings itself can be done manually if needed, the current standings on paper are sufficient. The standings are calculated by the software after the previous round is finished.
Players can easily join later; no rework like "add/remove free lots" or "rework pairings for past rounds" is necessary.
Dropouts are also better handled; the particularly unpleasant scenarios as in the Swiss system ("I am missing half a Buchholz point because x did not compete after 2 rounds") or round robin tournaments ("x won against me, he did not come against y and z") do not occur so strongly here.