Organizer guide

Configure your tournament

Learn how formats, scoring, stage transitions, and lifecycle settings work together. Start with a simple format or use the examples below to build a complete multi-stage tournament.

Quick start

A tournament is a sequence of one or more stages. Configure each stage from left to right, then define who advances between them.

1
Choose a preset for a common structure, or choose Custom phases for full control.
2
Configure each stage format, match scoring, group count, rounds, and standings points.
3
For every stage except the last, choose an advancement rule and the number of qualifiers.
4
Add participants, verify their seed order, then open registration or generate matches.

Choose a stage format

Each stage uses one pairing system. Different stages can use different formats.

Knockout

One loss eliminates a participant. Winners advance through the bracket until the configured number remains.

Best for: fast playoffs and finals

Round robin

Every participant plays every other participant. Standings are calculated from points and tie-breakers.

Best for: small fields where everyone should meet

Group stage

Participants are distributed into groups. Each group can play round robin, double round robin, or Swiss pairings.

Best for: large fields feeding into playoffs

Swiss

Participants play a fixed number of rounds against opponents with similar records without being eliminated after one loss.

Best for: large fields with limited rounds

Configure match scoring

Match scoring controls how a single match produces a winner. It is separate from standings points.

Standard score

Record one final score for each side. The higher score wins.

Best of

Best of 3 requires two game wins; best of 5 requires three. Use an odd target.

First to

The first participant to reach the target number of game wins takes the match.

Standings points apply after the match: a common setup is 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Tie-breakers are evaluated in the order shown.

Connect stages with advancement rules

The rule between two stages selects qualifiers from the completed stage and seeds them into the next one.

Rule	How it works	Use it when
Top N overall	Takes the highest-ranked participants from one combined table.	The source stage has one standings table.
Top N per group	Takes the same number of automatic qualifiers from every group.	Every group should have equal representation.
Per group + wildcards	Takes automatic qualifiers, then fills extra places with the best eligible ranks across groups.	You need a bracket size not divisible by the group count.
Knockout survivors	Advances every participant still alive when an early knockout stage stops.	A preliminary bracket feeds another stage.
Placements	Uses final finishing positions from the source stage.	Later stages depend on final rank or classification.

Complete examples

Use these recipes as starting points and adjust counts to match your field.

8-player single elimination

A direct bracket that produces one champion.

Stages: 1 — Knockout
Match format: Best of 3
Play until: Champion decided
Optional: Enable a third-place match

✓ Generates quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final.

16 players: groups into playoffs

Four balanced groups feed an 8-player knockout bracket.

Stage 1: Group stage · 4 groups · Round robin · Best of 3
Points: Win 3 · Draw 1 · Loss 0
Advancement: Top 2 per group
Stage 2: Knockout · 8 qualifiers · Champion decided

✓ Each player gets group matches before the quarterfinals.

32 players: Swiss into top 8

A fixed-round qualifier creates a competitive playoff field.

Stage 1: Swiss · 5 rounds · Best of 3
Tie-breakers: Match points, Buchholz, score difference, then seed
Advancement: Top 8 overall
Stage 2: Knockout · Champion decided

✓ Every player gets five rounds before the top eight advance.

Before you launch

Review the setup while the tournament is still in Draft. Structural settings become harder to change after matches exist.

Participant count fits the group and advancement settings.
Seed order is correct before generating matches.
Every non-final stage has an advancement rule.
Match targets and standings points match your rules.
Tie-breakers are ordered from most to least important.
The public page is enabled when you are ready to share.