Swiss Tournaments and Tournament Days

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11.1 The Swiss system

Most open tournaments, like FIDE rated opens with 10 rounds, use the Swiss system. Nobody is knocked out: every player plays every round. In each round you meet a player with the same score, or as close as possible. You never meet the same opponent twice, and colours alternate as far as possible.

This means a loss in round 1 is not a disaster: you will meet weaker opponents in round 2. And a good start brings stronger opponents. Many players win prizes after a bad start.

11.2 Tie-breaks

When players finish on the same points, tie-breaks decide the order. The most common is Buchholz: the sum of your opponents’ scores. Others are the direct encounter, the number of wins and Sonneborn-Berger. The tournament regulations list which tie-breaks are used and in what order; read them before round 1.

11.3 Body and mind

1. Sleep well, especially before the first round and during the event.
2. Eat light before a game and drink water during it. Heavy meals make you sleepy.
3. Walk a little between rounds instead of analysing for hours.
4. Arrive early at the venue. Find your board, the toilets and the water.
5. After a loss, look at the game briefly, then put it away. The next round is a new game.
6. Keep a simple routine: the same light preparation before each game.