diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bc4fc8eeab..1af719b448 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -870,6 +870,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += gpg-interface.o
 LIB_OBJS += graph.o
 LIB_OBJS += grep.o
 LIB_OBJS += hashmap.o
+LIB_OBJS += linear-assignment.o
 LIB_OBJS += help.o
 LIB_OBJS += hex.o
 LIB_OBJS += ident.o
diff --git a/linear-assignment.c b/linear-assignment.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b3e56e283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/linear-assignment.c
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+/*
+ * Based on: Jonker, R., & Volgenant, A. (1987). <i>A shortest augmenting path
+ * algorithm for dense and sparse linear assignment problems</i>. Computing,
+ * 38(4), 325-340.
+ */
+#include "cache.h"
+#include "linear-assignment.h"
+
+#define COST(column, row) cost[(column) + column_count * (row)]
+
+/*
+ * The parameter `cost` is the cost matrix: the cost to assign column j to row
+ * i is `cost[j + column_count * i].
+ */
+void compute_assignment(int column_count, int row_count, int *cost,
+			int *column2row, int *row2column)
+{
+	int *v, *d;
+	int *free_row, free_count = 0, saved_free_count, *pred, *col;
+	int i, j, phase;
+
+	memset(column2row, -1, sizeof(int) * column_count);
+	memset(row2column, -1, sizeof(int) * row_count);
+	ALLOC_ARRAY(v, column_count);
+
+	/* column reduction */
+	for (j = column_count - 1; j >= 0; j--) {
+		int i1 = 0;
+
+		for (i = 1; i < row_count; i++)
+			if (COST(j, i1) > COST(j, i))
+				i1 = i;
+		v[j] = COST(j, i1);
+		if (row2column[i1] == -1) {
+			/* row i1 unassigned */
+			row2column[i1] = j;
+			column2row[j] = i1;
+		} else {
+			if (row2column[i1] >= 0)
+				row2column[i1] = -2 - row2column[i1];
+			column2row[j] = -1;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/* reduction transfer */
+	ALLOC_ARRAY(free_row, row_count);
+	for (i = 0; i < row_count; i++) {
+		int j1 = row2column[i];
+		if (j1 == -1)
+			free_row[free_count++] = i;
+		else if (j1 < -1)
+			row2column[i] = -2 - j1;
+		else {
+			int min = COST(!j1, i) - v[!j1];
+			for (j = 1; j < column_count; j++)
+				if (j != j1 && min > COST(j, i) - v[j])
+					min = COST(j, i) - v[j];
+			v[j1] -= min;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (free_count ==
+	    (column_count < row_count ? row_count - column_count : 0)) {
+		free(v);
+		free(free_row);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/* augmenting row reduction */
+	for (phase = 0; phase < 2; phase++) {
+		int k = 0;
+
+		saved_free_count = free_count;
+		free_count = 0;
+		while (k < saved_free_count) {
+			int u1, u2;
+			int j1 = 0, j2, i0;
+
+			i = free_row[k++];
+			u1 = COST(j1, i) - v[j1];
+			j2 = -1;
+			u2 = INT_MAX;
+			for (j = 1; j < column_count; j++) {
+				int c = COST(j, i) - v[j];
+				if (u2 > c) {
+					if (u1 < c) {
+						u2 = c;
+						j2 = j;
+					} else {
+						u2 = u1;
+						u1 = c;
+						j2 = j1;
+						j1 = j;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			if (j2 < 0) {
+				j2 = j1;
+				u2 = u1;
+			}
+
+			i0 = column2row[j1];
+			if (u1 < u2)
+				v[j1] -= u2 - u1;
+			else if (i0 >= 0) {
+				j1 = j2;
+				i0 = column2row[j1];
+			}
+
+			if (i0 >= 0) {
+				if (u1 < u2)
+					free_row[--k] = i0;
+				else
+					free_row[free_count++] = i0;
+			}
+			row2column[i] = j1;
+			column2row[j1] = i;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/* augmentation */
+	saved_free_count = free_count;
+	ALLOC_ARRAY(d, column_count);
+	ALLOC_ARRAY(pred, column_count);
+	ALLOC_ARRAY(col, column_count);
+	for (free_count = 0; free_count < saved_free_count; free_count++) {
+		int i1 = free_row[free_count], low = 0, up = 0, last, k;
+		int min, c, u1;
+
+		for (j = 0; j < column_count; j++) {
+			d[j] = COST(j, i1) - v[j];
+			pred[j] = i1;
+			col[j] = j;
+		}
+
+		j = -1;
+		do {
+			last = low;
+			min = d[col[up++]];
+			for (k = up; k < column_count; k++) {
+				j = col[k];
+				c = d[j];
+				if (c <= min) {
+					if (c < min) {
+						up = low;
+						min = c;
+					}
+					col[k] = col[up];
+					col[up++] = j;
+				}
+			}
+			for (k = low; k < up; k++)
+				if (column2row[col[k]] == -1)
+					goto update;
+
+			/* scan a row */
+			do {
+				int j1 = col[low++];
+
+				i = column2row[j1];
+				u1 = COST(j1, i) - v[j1] - min;
+				for (k = up; k < column_count; k++) {
+					j = col[k];
+					c = COST(j, i) - v[j] - u1;
+					if (c < d[j]) {
+						d[j] = c;
+						pred[j] = i;
+						if (c == min) {
+							if (column2row[j] == -1)
+								goto update;
+							col[k] = col[up];
+							col[up++] = j;
+						}
+					}
+				}
+			} while (low != up);
+		} while (low == up);
+
+update:
+		/* updating of the column pieces */
+		for (k = 0; k < last; k++) {
+			int j1 = col[k];
+			v[j1] += d[j1] - min;
+		}
+
+		/* augmentation */
+		do {
+			if (j < 0)
+				BUG("negative j: %d", j);
+			i = pred[j];
+			column2row[j] = i;
+			SWAP(j, row2column[i]);
+		} while (i1 != i);
+	}
+
+	free(col);
+	free(pred);
+	free(d);
+	free(v);
+	free(free_row);
+}
diff --git a/linear-assignment.h b/linear-assignment.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1dfea76629
--- /dev/null
+++ b/linear-assignment.h
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#ifndef LINEAR_ASSIGNMENT_H
+#define LINEAR_ASSIGNMENT_H
+
+/*
+ * Compute an assignment of columns -> rows (and vice versa) such that every
+ * column is assigned to at most one row (and vice versa) minimizing the
+ * overall cost.
+ *
+ * The parameter `cost` is the cost matrix: the cost to assign column j to row
+ * i is `cost[j + column_count * i].
+ *
+ * The arrays column2row and row2column will be populated with the respective
+ * assignments (-1 for unassigned, which can happen only if column_count !=
+ * row_count).
+ */
+void compute_assignment(int column_count, int row_count, int *cost,
+			int *column2row, int *row2column);
+
+/* The maximal cost in the cost matrix (to prevent integer overflows). */
+#define COST_MAX (1<<16)
+
+#endif