Tournament pairing generator
Run a Swiss event for your game store or club from a phone: type the players, pair each round, tap in the results and print the standings. Nobody plays the same opponent twice.
1. Set up the event
To keep club or team-mates apart in round 1, add a comma and the club after the name. Players are seeded in the order you list them.
8 players: 3 rounds suggested. Each round roughly halves the group still on a perfect score, and 3 halvings cover up to 8 players (2 × 2 × 2), so 3 rounds leave one player who won every game.
Round 1
Standings
The event stays on this device, in this browser, until you start a new one. To carry on from a phone or another computer, copy the share link and open it there.
Example: round 1 for eight players
A random draw (draw number 7). Type your own players above and pair round 1 to start.
| Table | Player | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellis | Dee |
| 2 | Gus | Fran |
| 3 | Bea | Hana |
| 4 | Callum | Alex |
With eight players, 3 rounds are enough to leave one player who won every game.
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How to use it
Type one player per line. If two players come from the same club or team, add a comma and the club after the name, and round 1 keeps them apart. Choose how many rounds to play, how many points a win, draw and loss are worth (3, 1 and 0 to start with), and whether round 1 is a random draw or seeded from the order of your list. Then pair round 1.
At each table, tap who won or tap draw. When every result is in, pair the next round. Print the pairings for the wall and the standings at the end. The whole event stays on this device, and the share link opens it on another phone or laptop if you swap devices halfway through.
How to read the standings
Players are ranked by points. If you turn tiebreaks on, two players on the same points are split by their opponents' score first: the points of everyone they played, added up, so the player who had the harder run of games ranks higher. If that is level too, the second score decides it. That is any number you type in for each game, such as points scored or objectives held. A bye counts as a win.
How the pairing works
This is the Swiss system, the standard way to run an event where everyone plays every round and nobody is knocked out. After round 1, players on the same points are paired together, the top half of each points group against the bottom half. If a group has an odd number, its lowest-ranked player moves down to play the top of the next group. Nobody meets the same opponent twice. With an odd number of players, the lowest-ranked player who has not had a bye sits out with a win.
The number of rounds we suggest is the number of times you can halve the field until one player is left: 3 rounds for up to 8 players, 4 for up to 16, 5 for up to 32. It is general Swiss-system maths in our own code. Big events, or any game with its own tournament rules, should check their own event pack, which may break ties or hand out byes differently.
Prizes and the games room
Looking for something for the winner? Our tabletop gift ideas and board game gifts are a good place to start, and gaming room decor has ideas for the room you play in.
Questions and answers
How many rounds should a Swiss tournament have?
A good rule is the number of times you can halve the field: 3 rounds for up to 8 players, 4 for up to 16, 5 for up to 32. That is enough for one player to finish with a win in every game. You can play more if you have time, but with nearly as many rounds as players some may have to meet twice.
What happens with an odd number of players?
Each round, one player gets a bye: they sit out and score a win. The bye goes to the lowest-ranked player who has not had one yet, so nobody gets a second bye while someone else has had none.
How are ties broken?
First by opponents' score, the total points of everyone a player has met, so a harder set of opponents ranks higher. Then by the second score you type in for each game, such as points scored. Turn tiebreaks off and players on the same points share a place.
Can two players meet twice?
No. Each round is paired so nobody plays someone they have already played. The only exception is an event with nearly as many rounds as players, where it may be impossible, and the tool tells you if a repeat game was needed.
Does it follow my game's official tournament rules?
It uses the standard Swiss approach, not any one game's rules. Most club and store events run well on it. If your event follows a published tournament pack, check how that pack breaks ties and gives byes, and adjust the points to match.