# Swiss System The **Swiss System** pairs participants with a similar record in every round. Nobody drops out, nobody plays the same opponent twice, and the ranking sharpens with every round. Use it for ranked events of any size where you want a fixed number of rounds instead of a full round robin. With 5 to 7 rounds a field of 32 to 64 teams gets a reliable ranking, and the top of the table is ready for a knockout. Entry types: **Single**, **Doubles**, **Team Name**. Groups are not supported; the whole field plays in one table. ## How a round is drawn **Round 1** has no standings yet, so Kickertool pairs the first half of the entry list against the second half: with 16 teams, 1 vs 9, 2 vs 10, and so on. **Randomize entries before tournament start** is on by default and shuffles the list first. Turn it off if you have seeded the list yourself, for example by ranking. **Every later round** is drawn from the current table. Kickertool builds a complete round in which every participant is paired or gets the bye, and applies these rules in this order. A higher rule always beats a lower one. 1. **No rematch.** Two participants never play each other twice in the same stage. 2. **Fresh bye.** With an odd field, nobody gets a second bye while somebody without a bye is still available. 3. **Bye to the bottom.** The bye goes to the lowest-placed participant for whom the rest of the field can still be paired within the point-difference limit. 4. **Smallest point difference.** Participants are paired with as small a difference in points as possible. The allowed difference grows with the tournament: about 0.4 wins per round played, at least one win. Only if no round is possible within that limit does Kickertool widen it step by step. 5. **Pairing style.** Among all rounds that are equally fair by rules 1 to 4, the pairing style decides which one is chosen, see below. Byes give no points unless **Bye Rating** is on. ## Monrad or Dutch Both styles pair within point groups, meaning participants with the same number of points. They differ in who inside a point group meets whom. **Monrad** pairs standings neighbours: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6. If a point group is odd, the last one of the group plays the first one of the next group. This is the default and the style Kickertool has always used. Matches are as even as possible, and the leaders meet early. **Dutch (FIDE)** is the style used in chess. Every point group is split in half, and the top half plays the bottom half: in a group of 8, 1 vs 5, 2 vs 6, 3 vs 7, 4 vs 8. If a group is odd, the best participant of the next group moves up to fill it. The strong participants of a group meet later, and the seeding from the entry list carries further into the tournament. Choose Dutch if your federation or your players expect FIDE pairings. Both styles are bound by rules 1 to 4. If the exact pairing would produce a rematch or exceed the point limit, Kickertool takes the closest legal alternative. ## The table Columns in sorting order: 1. **Points** 2. **Buchholz Score 1** (BH₁): the sum of the points of all your opponents. Two participants with the same points are separated by whose opponents were stronger. 3. **Buchholz Score 2** (BH₂): the sum of the BH₁ values of all your opponents. Hidden by default, still used for sorting. Goal and set differences are not used in the Swiss System by default. You can add them in the table settings of the discipline. ## Options - **Planned number of rounds**: how many rounds you intend to play. A rule of thumb: enough rounds that the winner is unique, that is log₂ of the field size rounded up, plus one or two rounds for a stable table. 32 teams: 5 rounds minimum, 6 or 7 are better. - **Pre-Draw Matches when possible**: see below. - **Pairing style**: Monrad or Dutch (FIDE). - **Bye Rating**: a bye counts as a won match. The score is the goals to win against half of that, 7:4 with 7 goals, and it adds to goal difference. Without it a bye gives 0 points, which is a disadvantage when points decide. - **Randomize entries before tournament start**: shuffle the field before round 1. On by default. ## Pre-draw Without the pre-draw a round is drawn in one go, and you start it with **New Round** once every match of the current round has a result. The last matches of a round leave tables idle. With **Pre-Draw Matches when possible** Kickertool draws matches of the next round as soon as tables are free and enough participants have finished their current match. The next round is built piece by piece. Every pre-drawn match respects the same rules as a full round: no rematch, no double bye, point difference within the limit. Once the current round is complete, the rest of the next round is drawn at once. Consequences you should know: - The **New Round** button disappears. Rounds are created automatically until the **Planned number of rounds** is reached. To play on, raise that number in the discipline settings. - A pre-drawn match is final. Participants who finish early are paired among themselves, so the leader may get an opponent with fewer points if nobody with the same score is free yet. The draw stays within its point limit, but it is less strict than a round drawn in one go. - If fairness matters more than table utilisation, leave the pre-draw off. ## Running the stage - You can remove the latest round as long as no result has been entered in it. - Late check-in is possible until the first round is complete. New entries fill open byes or form new matches in round 1. After that, check-in is closed for this stage. - If the field is exhausted, meaning no rematch-free round exists any more, Kickertool tells you that no new round is possible. With n participants that happens after n minus 1 rounds at the earliest. ## FAQ ### Why does the leader play against a team with fewer points? The pre-draw is on. With **Pre-Draw Matches when possible** Kickertool pairs participants as soon as they have finished their current match, among those who are free. If nobody with the same points is free yet, the leader gets the closest available opponent within the point limit. Turn the pre-draw off if you want every round drawn in one go. ### Where is the New Round button? With the pre-draw on, rounds are created automatically until the **Planned number of rounds** is reached, and the button is hidden. To play more rounds, raise the number in the discipline settings. ### Does a bye give points? Not by default. Turn on **Bye Rating** and a bye counts as a won match with the score of the goals to win against half of that, for example 7:4. The result also counts towards the goal difference. ### Can participants join after the tournament has started? Yes, until the first round is complete. New entries fill open byes or form new matches in round 1. Once round 1 is complete, check-in is closed for this stage. ### How many rounds should I plan? Enough that the winner is unique: log₂ of the field size rounded up, plus one or two rounds for a stable table. With 32 teams that is 5 rounds minimum, 6 or 7 are better. ## Next steps Add a knockout stage for the top of the table: [Elimination](/kickertool/modes/elimination/).