Chess tournaments – Arena and Swiss

Play online chess tournaments on chessGM. The tournaments page lists the events that are live now, the ones coming up and the latest results, and you can filter it to Arena or Swiss. Tournaments are run by clubs and by chessGM, they are free to enter, and most are rated, so your games count towards your rating for that time control.

Arena or Swiss?

In an Arena you play as many games as you can until the clock runs out. As soon as a game ends you are paired again, with someone near you in the standings. A win scores 2 points and a draw 1; after two wins in a row you are on fire and each further win scores 4 until you fail to win. You can berserk at the start of a game, halving your clock for an extra point if you win. Very short wins and draws earn less, so playing real games pays.

A Swiss has a fixed number of rounds, from three to fifteen. Everyone plays one game per round against an opponent with the same score, never the same person twice, with colours balanced. A win is 1 point and a draw half a point, and ties are broken by Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger and head to head. Swiss suits slower games and players who want every game to matter; Arena suits bullet and blitz and people who join late or leave early.

How to play in a tournament

Sign in: tournaments need a chessGM account.
Open an event from the list and press Join. Some events have a rating range, a minimum number of rated games or an entry code.
Be online at the start. In an Arena you can join until most of the time has passed; in a Swiss, late joins depend on the organiser.
Move quickly in your first move: a game you do not start in time is lost.
After the event, see the final standings and the trophies, and review your games.

Running a tournament

Club owners and admins can create tournaments for their club: Arena or Swiss, a time control from 15 seconds to 60 minutes with up to 30 seconds increment, the length or number of rounds, who may enter (everyone, club members only or people with the link), whether it is rated, and whether streaks, berserk and draw offers are allowed. An event can repeat every week. Organisers can pause pairings, fix Swiss results and message the players, and export the games as PGN.

Questions and answers

Are tournaments rated?

Most are; the organiser can make an event casual.

What do winners get?

The top three get gold, silver and bronze trophies, and badges are given for things like an unbeaten Swiss or a long Arena streak. chessGM does not handle money or prizes.

Can I take a break in an Arena?

Yes. Pause between games and rejoin from the lobby while the event is running, or withdraw. If you miss the start of a game you are paused until you tap to come back.