In a mixed doubles tennis tournament, two teams will compete, each consisting of one male and one female player. There are four married couples available, but no team should include both husband and wife. What is the highest number of games that can be organized under these conditions?

Explanation

There are four married pairs: A-B, C-D, E-F, and G-H, where each pair consists of a male and a female. Each male can form a team with any female except his spouse, resulting in 4 males × 3 eligible females = 12 possible teams. Considering matches between these teams, each team can compete against 7 others without overlapping spouses. Therefore, total potential matches are 12 teams × 7 opponents = 84. Since each match involves two teams, the total distinct games are 84 ÷ 2 = 42.