Mixed system
A mixed system combines two consecutive stages: qualification and playoffs. Participants first score points in Swiss or round robin and receive standings places; some then advance to an elimination bracket.
Qualification gives everyone several games and determines seeding, while playoffs decide the winner through decisive series. For example, 16 players can play 5 Swiss rounds, followed by quarterfinals for the top eight.
Tournament stages
| Stage | How it works | What it determines |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | Uses Swiss or round robin. | Points, tiebreaks and participant places before playoffs. |
| Playoffs | Uses an elimination bracket. | Who advances through quarterfinals, semifinals and the final. |
There is one qualification stage, either Swiss or round robin. Playoffs become the next stage of the same tournament, sharing its participant pool, general information and history.
Why use a mixed system
Use it when qualification standings alone should not decide the winner and a separate final stage is needed. It suits larger groups: everyone gets several opening games, and leaders contest top places in the bracket.
Qualification can be:
- Swiss — for many participants and a limited number of rounds;
- round robin — for a small group where everyone should meet;
- an ongoing standalone tournament using Swiss or round robin, which becomes mixed when playoffs are added.
Compare all systems in Tournament systems.
Mixed-system settings
Qualification and playoff settings are stored separately, allowing one stage to follow Swiss or round-robin rules and the other elimination rules.
| Tournament part | Where to find its settings |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Selecting Swiss or round robin displays that system’s settings. See Swiss system or Round robin. |
| Playoffs | See Playoffs for brackets, selection, time control, series, tie rules, colors and team scoring. |
Qualification
The opening stage behaves like the selected standalone system. Swiss pairs each round from current standings; round robin creates an entire cycle from a fixed schedule. Results determine qualification points, places and tiebreaks.
These standings determine seeding: first place is seed one, second place seed two, and so on. Qualification results remain available after playoffs start, recording who entered the bracket and from which place.
Moving to playoffs
During qualification, the tournament is in the regular stage. Starting playoffs changes the current stage. If planned rounds or cycles remain, the service warns with completed and planned counts, but allows continuation after confirmation.
Opening pairings use current qualification standings. The start dialog shows seed order and lets administrators reorder or exclude participants. The field is then validated: every bracket must contain a power-of-two number.
Note
For example, playoffs can start after 5 of 7 Swiss rounds using current standings. The remaining two qualification rounds are not created automatically; play continues in the playoff stage.
See Managing a tournament for starting playoffs and permissions.
Advancing to playoffs
Use one bracket or two independent upper and lower brackets. One usually takes top qualifiers; two let leaders and the next group compete separately.
See Playoffs for seeding, selection, brackets and series.
Pairings and standings on the tournament page
Mixed tournaments show a stage switch on Pairings and Standings, allowing qualification or playoff data to be viewed.
Swiss PlayoffsWith round-robin qualification, the first button says Round robin and uses its icon. The selected stage is remembered separately for Pairings and Standings.
Qualification shows its pairings and regular standings. After playoffs start, the second view shows bracket stages, series and elimination results. Qualification standings remain available to review bracket entry order.
See Tournament pairings and Standings.
Adding playoffs to an ongoing tournament
For standalone Swiss or round robin in progress, Add playoffs appears next to Finish tournament. It opens the same bracket, time control, series and selection settings used by mixed events.
Saving retains the regular stage and adds playoffs. The system becomes mixed, and Pairings and Standings gain stage switches. Saving settings does not create opening pairings or start playoffs; that is a separate action.
See Managing a tournament for permissions and starting instructions.
Teams and ratings
Mixed tournaments support individual and team formats. Both stages share one participant pool: qualification players and teams are used when forming playoffs. Playoff team scoring is configured separately.
General settings, including rated status, format and chess variant, apply to the whole tournament. See Format and teams and Ratings.