Individual pairing systems
An individual tournament uses one of three pairing systems, chosen on the tournament form (see Managing Tournaments). Each pairs players against each other.
| System | Best for | How it pairs |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss | Larger fields, fewer rounds than players | Pairs players by standings each round (FIDE Dutch system) |
| Round-Robin | Small fields where everyone should meet everyone | A fixed all-play-all schedule generated up front |
| Keizer | Long-running club events with changing attendance | A ranking-value system that pairs whoever is present each round |
Swiss
Players are paired round by round according to their current standings, so that players on similar scores meet. It handles any number of players and is the usual choice when there are more players than rounds.
- Pairings use the FIDE Dutch system, with a built-in consistency checker.
- With an odd number of players, one player receives a pairing-allocated bye (PAB) each round. Zero-, half- and full-point byes can also be assigned by hand.
- Prohibited pairings (same club, federation or team) can be kept apart, as hard rules or as soft rules that relax from the bottom of the field.
Prohibited pairings must not be used for official FIDE events — they override the FIDE Dutch pairing rules. Reserve them for club and festival formats.
Variations:
- Standard swiss system — pairs purely on the standings.
- Six accelerated variations add fictional points early on so the leaders meet sooner. See Accelerations.
Round-Robin
Every player meets every other player. The full schedule is generated up front (the Berger tables), so there are no pairing decisions during the event, and there are no byes — an odd field is handled by the table itself. Because the schedule is fixed, players cannot be added once pairings exist.
Variations:
- Berger — single round-robin: each pair of players meets once.
- Double-round Berger — double round-robin: each pair meets twice, with the colours reversed.
Keizer
A ranking-value system built for long-running club tournaments — a weekly evening championship over many rounds, where not everyone plays every week. Rather than count game points, each player carries a value derived from their current standing, and pairs the players who are present for the round.
See Keizer for how it scores and its settings.
Variation: Keizer.
Which one should I use?
- More players than rounds → Swiss (add an acceleration for a large field over few rounds).
- A small field where everyone should meet everyone → Round-Robin.
- A club championship over many evenings with changing attendance → Keizer.