Tournament Glossary
All tournament terms explained
Tournament Formats
Rotating Partners
A tournament format where you get a new partner for every match. The goal is to play with and against everyone. Also known as 'Normal Americano'.
Example: Round 1: You play with Anna. Round 2: You play with Erik. Round 3: You play with Sofia.
Fixed Teams
A tournament format where you keep the same partner throughout the entire tournament. Teams compete against each other in a league-style format. Also known as 'Team Americano'.
Example: You and Anna are a team for the whole tournament, playing against Team Erik/Sofia, Team Johan/Maria, etc.
Mixed Pairs
A tournament format where each team must have one player from Group A and one from Group B. Commonly used for mixed gender or skill-balanced events. Also known as 'Mix Americano'.
Example: Group A (women) + Group B (men): Anna (A) + Erik (B) vs Maria (A) + Johan (B)
Group + Knockout
A two-phase tournament: first, players compete in groups (round-robin), then top players advance to a single-elimination knockout bracket. Also known as 'Multi-Stage'.
Example: 12 players split into 3 groups → play everyone in your group → top 2 from each group advance to quarter-finals
Settings
Points Per Match
The total number of points played in each match. Every rally awards one point to the winning team. When all points are played, the team with more points wins.
Example: 32 points per match: If the score is 18-14, Team A wins with 18 points.
Rotation (1x, 2x, 3x Play)
How many times each unique pairing or matchup repeats. 1x = once (shortest), 2x = twice, 3x = three times (longest, most fair).
Example: 1x: Play with Anna once. 2x: Play with Anna twice (against different opponents).
Ranking Method
How players are ranked in the standings. 'Points Won' ranks by total points earned. 'Match Points Won' ranks by win = 2, tie = 1, loss = 0.
Tiebreaker
When two players have the same primary ranking score, tiebreakers determine who ranks higher. Common tiebreakers: match points won, points won, point difference.
Example: Both players have 120 points → check match points → Player A has 10 match points, Player B has 8 → Player A ranks higher.
Balance Report
A quality indicator showing how fair your tournament setup is. 'Perfect' means everyone plays equally. 'Good' has slight imbalance. 'Fair' has noticeable imbalance.
Score Input Mode
A tournament setting that controls who can enter and edit match scores. 'Organizers Only' restricts scoring to organizers. 'Players in Match' allows players to update their own match scores.
Soft-Delete (30-Day Recovery)
When a tournament is deleted, it's moved to a recovery bin for 30 days rather than being permanently removed. Player ratings are reversed, and the event can be restored by contacting support.
Seeding
Seeding
The process of ranking and positioning players before a tournament starts. Higher seeds are typically stronger players who get favorable positions.
Example: Seed 1 = highest rated player, Seed 12 = lowest rated player.
Balanced Distribution (Snake Seeding)
A method of distributing players into groups that ensures each group has a similar skill level. Players are assigned in a 'snake' pattern: 1→2→3, then 3→2→1, then 1→2→3, etc.
Example: 12 players, 3 groups: Group A gets seeds 1,6,7,12. Group B gets seeds 2,5,8,11. Group C gets seeds 3,4,9,10.
Automatic Player Ranking
The system automatically ranks players by their official rating to determine seeding. No manual intervention required.
Custom Adjustment (Manual Override)
The organizer can manually change player positions in the seeding list by dragging and dropping, overriding the automatic ranking.
Example: You know Player X is out of form, so you drag them down from seed 3 to seed 8.
Seeding Manager
A visual interface for organizers to preview and adjust how players are distributed into groups before starting a Group + Knockout tournament.
Knockout
Knockout Stage
The elimination phase of a tournament where losing a match means you're out. Also called 'bracket stage' or 'elimination rounds'.
Group-Crossover Bracket
A knockout bracket arrangement where group winners face runners-up from OTHER groups. Prevents same-group rematches in early rounds.
Example: Semi-finals: A1 vs B2, B1 vs A2 (1st place from one group vs 2nd place from another).
Performance-Based Bracket (Reseed)
A knockout bracket arrangement where ALL qualifiers are re-ranked by their group stage performance, ignoring which group they came from. The best performer gets the easiest first-round matchup.
Example: 8 qualifiers ranked 1-8 based on wins/points → #1 plays #8, #2 plays #7, etc.
Qualifier
A player who advances from the group stage to the knockout stage. The number of qualifiers per group is set by the organizer.
Example: Top 2 from each group qualify → 2 groups × 2 qualifiers = 4 players in knockout.
Third Place Match
An optional match between the two semi-final losers to determine who finishes 3rd and 4th.
Player Status
Confirmed
A player who is registered and will play in the tournament when it starts. Confirmed players are included in match generation.
Invited
A player who has been added to a tournament by email but hasn't created an account yet. They'll receive an email with a link to claim their spot.
Pending Confirmation
A player who has an account but hasn't confirmed their participation in the tournament yet. They'll receive a notification to accept or decline.
Placeholder
A player added by name only without an email address. They can be replaced or have their details updated later by the organizer.
Waitlisted
A player who wants to join but the tournament is at max capacity. Waitlisted players are automatically promoted if someone leaves.
Guest Player
A player added by name who doesn't have a registered account. Guests can play but don't earn official ratings.
Ratings
Official Rating
A player's skill rating calculated from their performance in Official Series tournaments. Used for seeding and global rankings.
Rating Confidence (Stars)
A visual indicator of how reliable a player's rating is. More stars = more matches played = more accurate rating. 1 star = provisional, 3 stars = established.
Rating Deviation (RD)
A technical measure of rating uncertainty. Lower RD = more confident rating. RD decreases as players play more matches.
Point Difference
Points scored minus points conceded. A positive difference means you score more than you give up. Used as a tiebreaker.
Example: You scored 150 points and conceded 120 → Point difference = +30.
Stages
Group Stage
The first phase of a Group + Knockout tournament where players compete within their assigned group in a round-robin format.
Round-Robin
A format where every player/team plays against every other player/team exactly once. Ensures everyone gets the same number of matches.
Example: 4 teams → 6 matches total: A vs B, A vs C, A vs D, B vs C, B vs D, C vs D.
Championship Rounds
Extra playoff rounds after the main tournament for top finishers. Only available in Rotating Partners format.
Matchday
A round of matches in the group stage of a Group + Knockout tournament. Each matchday, players have one match.
Example: Matchday 1: You play your first group opponent. Matchday 2: You play your second opponent.
Roles
Organizer
The person who created the tournament and has full control over settings, players, and matches.
Co-Organizer
A helper added by the main organizer who can manage scores and players, but cannot delete the tournament.
Official Series
Tournaments marked as part of the official rating series. Results from these tournaments affect players' global rankings.