How to use
- 1Type the players one per line; add a rating after a comma if you have one (e.g. “Anna, 1850”).
- 2Enter the number of rounds (a recommendation is shown) and press “Start tournament”.
- 3Choose each board’s result: 1-0, ½-½ or 0-1.
- 4When the round is complete, press “Pair next round”; standings update with Buchholz and Sonneborn-Berger.
How the Swiss system works
Nobody is knocked out and everyone plays every round. In round one the top half of the rating list meets the bottom half: with 8 players, 1–5, 2–6, 3–7, 4–8. From then on players are grouped by score and paired within the group the same top-half-versus-bottom-half way. No two players meet twice. With an odd number of players, the lowest-ranked player who has not had a bye sits out and scores 1 point.
Side balance and rules
The tool is a simplified implementation of FIDE’s Dutch system: score groups, no rematches, the bye rule and colour balance; the player with fewer whites gets white, otherwise each gets the opposite of their last colour. Rated FIDE events must use endorsed pairing software, but this tool is plenty for club, school and esports events. In esports, read white/black as home/away or blue/red side.
Buchholz and Sonneborn-Berger
Buchholz is the sum of your opponents’ scores; it rewards facing stronger opposition. Sonneborn-Berger adds the full score of every opponent you beat and half the score of every opponent you drew. Standings sort by points, then Buchholz, then Sonneborn-Berger. Here a bye adds nothing to Buchholz (FIDE’s virtual-opponent method is not applied).
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds in a Swiss tournament?
To get a single winner you usually play log2(players) rounded up: 3 rounds for 8 players, 4 for 16, 5 for 30. One or two extra rounds give a more reliable ranking.
What is Buchholz?
The total score of every opponent a player faced. Among players level on points, it favours the one who met tougher opponents.
How many points is a bye?
One point here, and a player gets at most one bye in the event as long as the numbers allow.
Is the Swiss system used in esports?
Yes. Major Valorant, CS2 and fighting game events often use a Swiss stage: everyone plays the same number of matches and nobody is out after one loss.
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