Run a Club Swiss: Rounds, Time Control and Tiebreaks

Running a club tournament involves three decisions that players will argue about for years: how many rounds, what time control and which tiebreaks. All three can be settled with arithmetic before the event, and should be published with the entry form. This guide plans a weekend Swiss for 34 players with the Swiss rounds, time control and tiebreak calculators.

Step 1: how many rounds

The Swiss rounds calculator shows that 34 players need 6 rounds for at most one perfect score, because 2⁵ = 32 is just too few and 2⁶ = 64 is enough. With no draws, the expected spread after six rounds is about 0.5 players on 6/6, 3.2 on 5/6, 8.0 on 4/6 and 10.6 on 3/6. Club games produce plenty of draws, which will push more players onto 4½ and 5, so ties for the top places are likely. Seven rounds would reduce them, but would not fit a two-day event at a standard time control. Six rounds it is, with tiebreaks announced in advance.

Step 2: a time control that is FIDE standard

If the event is to be FIDE-rated as standard, each player must have at least 60 minutes for 60 moves, counting increments. The time control calculator shows that 45 minutes plus 15 seconds per move qualifies exactly: 45 + 60 × 15 seconds = 60 minutes. The maximum length of a 40-move game is 2 × (45 + 40 × 0.25) = 110 minutes. Three rounds a day, with 20 minutes between rounds for pairings, take at most 3 × 110 + 2 × 20 = 370 minutes, a little over six hours. A more generous 60 minutes plus 30 seconds would give games of up to 160 minutes for 40 moves and only allow two rounds a day. A common mistake is to choose 25 + 10, which looks long but counts as only 35 minutes and is therefore a rapid game under FIDE rules; amusingly, Lichess would call it classical.

Step 3: the tiebreaks

The regulations announce Buchholz Cut-1 first, then full Buchholz, then Sonneborn-Berger. After six rounds, three players finish on 4½. Player A won, won, drew, lost, won and won, against opponents finishing on 3, 4, 5, 5½, 3½ and 4. Player B's opponents finished on 2½, 5, 3, 4½, 4½ and 3½, and Player C's on 4, 2, 3½, 4, 5½ and 3. The tiebreak calculator gives A a Cut-1 of 22.0, B 20.5 and C 20.0, so A wins on the first tiebreak and B finishes second. Full Buchholz, 25, 23 and 22, agrees, and so does Sonneborn-Berger: 17, 15.75 and 14.5. When the tiebreaks agree like this, nobody can complain; when they do not, the published order decides.

Step 4: byes, withdrawals and forfeits

Half-point byes for players who cannot attend a round are popular in club events, but they affect tiebreaks. Under FIDE's 2023 tiebreak regulations, unplayed games are handled with a virtual opponent, and many organisers choose Cut-1 precisely because it discards the lowest score, which often belongs to a withdrawn player. Publish the bye rules with the entry form, limit the number of byes per player, and do not allow byes in the last round, when they can be used tactically.

Common mistakes

• Too few rounds for the field. Five rounds for 34 players can leave two perfect scores.
• A time control that is not what you think. Check the FIDE category with 60 moves of increment.
• Scheduling from average game length. Use the maximum, or the last game of the day finishes in the dark.
• Announcing tiebreaks after the event. They must be published in advance.
• Unlimited byes. They distort the standings and tiebreaks.

Organiser's checklist

1. Calculate the minimum rounds from the expected number of entries, and add one if time allows.
2. Choose a time control and confirm its FIDE category.
3. Build the schedule from the maximum game length plus time for pairings.
4. Publish the tiebreak order and the bye rules with the entry form.
5. Register the event with your federation if it is to be rated.
6. Keep the crosstable up to date so tiebreaks can be calculated immediately after the last round.