Guides
Practical answers to the questions organizers get asked most, with worked examples.
Round robin
Schedules, byes and the maths behind them.
How to make a round robin schedule by handThe circle method for making a round robin schedule: a step-by-step walkthrough for 6 teams, how…Round robin byes, explainedHow byes work in a round robin with an odd number of teams, how many rounds you need, and how to…Round robin formula: games, rounds and timeThe round robin formula n(n−1)/2 explained, with a table of games, rounds and games per team for…What is a round robin tournament?A round robin is a format where every team plays every other team. How it works, a 4-team exampl…
Brackets & knockouts
Seeding, byes, single and double elimination.
Swiss system
Pairing by score for big fields.
Running the event
Formats, courts, tie-breakers and pools.
Choosing a tournament formatRound robin, single or double elimination, Swiss, or groups + playoffs? A practical guide based …Pool play to bracket: how to run itHow to run pool play into a bracket for 8–24 teams: pool sizes, who advances, crossover seeding,…Scheduling courts and match timesHow to plan a tournament across multiple courts: match length, changeovers, minimum rest, rollin…Breaking a three-way tie with head-to-headWhat a head-to-head tiebreaker does when three teams each beat one another. A worked pool exampl…Tournament tie-breakers: which to use and in what orderHead-to-head, score difference, Buchholz and more — what each tie-breaker means and sensible ord…Tournament formats for 3 to 7 teamsThe best tournament format for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 teams, with game counts and timings: when a round…
Sports
How formats work in specific sports.