This is a lesson learned by every organizer, precisely one time. This is typically on a Tuesday when a match extend past its posted conclusion time by half an hour. Players wrap up their current game as you look down at your clipboard. Opponents for the next round wait impatiently. Why’s everyone so late? No … Read more
Fifteen minutes can be the difference between an unforgettable tournament and a crazy, disorganized Friday night. Games is set up, tables are waiting, and players are in place, but there is no schedule. When do we post the standings? Do they eat lunch before or after? Who’s finished with their last round when it’s time … Read more
The situation comes up fairly often for tourney directors: you glance down at your roster and notice an odd number of players. It is not the end of the world, just a hiccup in neat pairing system called Swiss pairing. Now you’ve got thirty players and one sits out because he/she had to. Or maybe … Read more
In a Swiss tournament, few rounds end with a Hollywood-style finish. Instead, it tends to be a hushed mathematical puzzle in one of the halls’ corners: two competitors with the same score is facing off against each other. And while it’s not always the victor who carries the trophy home. Often, it’s the one with … Read more
You sit at table with a score of four and a half in a five-round event. You’ve got four and a half sitting on the table in front of you. So does another guy, seated across from you. Tournament director, it’s your call: Who goes on? Whose name gets ranked more than the other? That’s … Read more
There’s nothing like crushing a tournament bracket. Then someone mumbles something about being lucky. Yeah, it burns. Because this stuff are competitive. You want to beat everybody, but you also want your victories to count for something. Beating beginners feels hollow compared to rough run through elite tables. That’s why we made the strength of … Read more
Tournament directors are not only tasked with running a game but they must also manage complicated logistics. A clock refuses to stop ticking; judges need coffee breaks; and players wants to sit together. This is where the Swiss pairing system comes into play. All player stay in the tournament, none get eliminated early and everyone … Read more
