Complete guide for running tournaments with Chess Organizer
Chess Organizer is a system for running chess tournaments, either as a Swiss-system event (all players compete over several rounds) or as a single-elimination bracket. This manual is written for arbiters and organizers, and explains step by step how to use every function of the system.
It covers: creating an account, managing players, running a full tournament (registration, rounds, results, standings and certificates), the Tournament Wizard (an alternative guided flow), single-elimination tournaments, the chess clock, and the most common questions.
Before you can organize tournaments you need an account. Go to the registration screen and enter your details:
/registro-usuario
1. Enter your full name.
2. Choose a username (lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores only).
3. Enter your email. It must belong to one of the allowed domains: gmail.com, hotmail.com, yahoo.com, outlook.com or alumno.um.edu.mx.
4. Choose a password of at least 6 characters.
5. Click "Register". If everything is correct, you will be redirected to the login screen.
/login
Enter your email and password and click "Log In". If the details are correct you will land on the main dashboard.
/forgot-password
1. Enter the email you registered with.
2. Check your inbox: you will receive a reset link valid for 1 hour.
3. Open the link, enter your new password (minimum 6 characters) and confirm it.
4. The link stops working once it has been used.
Before creating a tournament you need to register the players who will take part. Players you register remain available to be enrolled in any of your tournaments.
/jugadores
On the Players screen you will find a form to add a new player, with these fields:
Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
Name | Yes | Player's full name |
ID number | Yes | Unique identifier for the player within your account (cannot be repeated) |
Major / Category | Yes | The player's academic major or category |
Grade level | Yes | The player's grade or level |
Rating | No | Approximate Elo rating, if known |
Federation | No | Federation or club the player belongs to |
1. Fill in the "Add New Player" form.
2. Click "Save Player".
3. The player appears in the players table, ready to be enrolled in a tournament.
Click the edit icon next to the player, change the fields you need, and save the changes.
1. Click the delete icon next to the player.
2. If the player has never been enrolled in any tournament, it is deleted immediately.
3. If the player is or has been enrolled in a tournament, the system will warn you that it cannot be deleted and will ask you to remove them from those tournaments first (see section 4.6).
The Swiss system is the recommended format for most tournaments: every player competes over several rounds, is paired based on their score, and a full final standings table is produced at the end (not just a single champion).
/torneos
Fill in the creation form with the following information:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Name | Tournament name |
Venue | Where the event takes place |
Start / end date | Event dates |
Number of rounds | Total rounds to be played |
Maximum players | Maximum number of participants |
1. Fill in the form and click "Create Tournament".
2. The tournament appears in your tournament list, ready for participants to be enrolled.
/torneos/participantes/{tournamentId}
1. This screen shows two sections: players already enrolled, and the list of available players (the ones you registered in section 3).
2. Check the box next to the players you want to enroll.
3. Click "Enroll Selected".
4. Enrolled players appear in the table above, with their score and tiebreak set to zero.
/torneos/partidas/{tournamentId}
1. With at least 2 players enrolled, click "Generate Rounds".
2. The system automatically creates all the rounds of the tournament and builds the pairings for Round 1.
3. If the number of players is odd, one player automatically receives a "bye" (half a point), and the system tries to rotate who sits out each round.
/torneos/partidas/editar/{matchId}
1. In the current round's match view, click "Edit" on the match you want to record.
2. Select the result: 1-0 (White won), 0-1 (Black won), or ½-½ (draw).
3. Click "Save Result".
4. The system automatically recalculates scores and tiebreaks for the whole tournament.
/torneos/generar-siguiente-ronda/{tournamentId}
1. Record the results of every match in the current round.
2. Click "Generate Next Round".
3. The system pairs players according to their accumulated score, avoiding repeat pairings whenever possible.
4. Repeat this process (enter results → generate next round) until all rounds of the tournament are complete.
If a player does not show up, drops out of the tournament, or needs to leave for any reason, you should not delete them from the system: mark them as "Withdrawn" instead.
/torneos/participantes/retirar/{participationId}
1. In the tournament's participant table, find the player and click the "Withdraw" button.
2. The system confirms the action.
3. If the player had a pending match (no result) in the current round, their opponent automatically wins that match.
4. From that point on, the withdrawn player will no longer be paired in any future round, but keeps their score and place in the standings.
/torneos/podio/{tournamentId}
This screen shows the podium (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) and the full standings table for every participant, sorted by score and tiebreak (Sonneborn-Berger and Buchholz).
From the standings screen you can generate and download:
You can generate a public link to the standings to share it (for example on social media or by email) without the recipient needing to log in.
/torneos/podio/compartido/{token}
Reset tournament:
Deletes all rounds, matches and results, but keeps the enrolled participants. Useful if you need to restart the competition from scratch.
Delete tournament:
Deletes the tournament entirely (rounds, matches, participants, everything). This action cannot be undone.
The Wizard is an alternative, simpler way to run a full tournament, ideal if you prefer a step-by-step guide instead of navigating between several screens.
/asistente
The Wizard walks you through the same stages as the classic mode, in this order:
1. Choose to create a new tournament or continue with an existing one.
2. If new: enter name, venue, dates, number of rounds and maximum players.
3. Create new players or select from your existing player list.
4. Enroll the selected players in the tournament.
5. Generate the rounds.
6. Enter the results of the current round, match by match.
7. Generate the next round (repeat with the previous step until all rounds are done).
8. View the final standings once the tournament is complete.
This format is a knockout bracket: players face off in elimination matches and whoever loses is out of the tournament, until a final is reached.
/torneos-eliminacion
1. Fill in name, venue and dates.
2. Set the maximum number of players. A power of 2 (4, 8, 16, 32...) is recommended so the bracket fills evenly.
3. Click "Create Tournament".
/torneos-eliminacion/participantes/{tournamentId}
1. Enroll players the same way as in the Swiss system (checkboxes + "Enroll Selected").
2. Once you have all your participants, click "Generate Bracket".
3. The system automatically builds the full bracket and assigns colors (White/Black) to each match.
/torneos-eliminacion/bracket/{tournamentId}
1. In the bracket view, click "Edit" on the match that was played.
2. Select the winner and save the result.
3. The winner automatically advances to the next round of the bracket.
From the bracket view you can reassign colors (White/Black) in two ways:
You can also check each player's color history throughout the tournament.
Just like in the Swiss system, you can view the final standings (champion, runner-up and third-place finishers), download individual or bulk certificates, and share the standings with a public link.
A standalone tool for timing in-person games, available to anyone without needing to log in.
/reloj-ajedrez
1. Set the base time per player and, if you want, an increment per move.
2. Start the clock: time begins running for the player whose turn it is.
3. Each player presses their clock after making a move, passing the turn (and the countdown) to their opponent.
4. The clock signals when a player's time runs out.
/perfil
From your profile you can update your name, username and password, as well as upload your organization's logo, which will be shown alongside your tournaments.
The system includes an achievements and progress section that recognizes your activity as an organizer (for example, completed tournaments or registered players). Check this section in your profile to see your current progress.
Every new account has the following default limits:
Resource | Default limit |
|---|---|
Simultaneous active tournaments | 3 |
Registered players | 50 |
No. You must always click "Save Result" after selecting a match result.
Use the "Reset" button on that match (available while the round is not yet fully closed) and enter it again.
On the tournament's participants screen, use the "Delete" button next to that participant (only works before they have any played matches; if they already played, use "Withdraw" instead).
Mark them as "Withdrawn" on the participants screen. Their opponent in the current round will automatically win, and the player will no longer be paired.
Because they are or have been enrolled in one or more tournaments. Withdraw or remove them from those tournaments first, and you will then be able to delete them from your player list.
By default, 3 active tournaments and 50 registered players. See section 8.3.
In the Swiss system every player competes over several rounds and a full standings table is produced. In single elimination, whoever loses is out and only a champion is decided (with third-place finishers from the semifinals).
Yes, the site is designed to work correctly on any browser, both on computers and phones.