How to run a Swiss tournament
- List the players or teams. To seed by strength, list the strongest first and choose Keep my order as seeds.
- Choose how many rounds to play. The recommended number is enough to find a clear winner.
- Press Pair round 1. When each game finishes, tap its result.
- When every result is in, press Pair round 2, and so on. The standings update after every result.
Swiss, round robin, or knockout?
- Round robin (generator) is the fairest, since everyone plays everyone, but 10 players need 9 rounds.
- Single elimination (bracket generator) is the fastest, but half the field goes home after one game.
- Swiss sits in between: 16 players can find a winner in 4 rounds, and everyone keeps playing the whole time.
That’s why Swiss is the standard format for chess opens, trading card game nights, and many esports qualifiers. The system was first used at a chess tournament in Zurich in 1895, which is where the name comes from.
How the pairings work
Players are ranked by points, then by seed. Within each score group, the top half plays the bottom half, so the strongest players don’t meet in round one. If two players have already played, the generator looks for the next-best pairing, so there are no rematches whenever one can be avoided. Players who can’t be paired within their score group float to the next group down.
It saves as you go
The tournament is saved in your browser after every result, so a refresh won’t lose anything. Copy share link sends the current pairings and standings to other players, and Print gives you a clean sheet for the wall.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Swiss-system tournament?
In a Swiss tournament, everyone plays every round and nobody is eliminated. Each round, players are paired with others on the same score whom they haven’t played yet. After a few rounds, the strongest players rise to the top without everyone having to play everyone.
How many rounds should we play?
The recommended number of rounds is enough for one player to finish with a perfect score: 3 rounds for 8 players, 4 for 16, 5 for 32. Play more rounds for a more reliable ranking.
What happens with an odd number of players?
Each round, one player sits out with a bye and gets 1 point, the same as a win. The bye goes to the lowest-ranked player who hasn’t had one yet, so nobody gets two.
How are ties in the standings broken?
First by points, then by the total points of everyone you played (called Buchholz), which rewards facing tougher opponents, then by number of wins.
Who plays White in chess?
The first name in each pairing goes first. The generator balances it so that over the tournament, each player goes first about as often as second.
Can a player drop out partway through?
Not yet. If a player leaves, record their remaining games as losses so the pairings stay balanced.