This guide covers what to do on the day of an Americano tournament, once it has been created and your players have registered. Other tournament formats run differently, so each will have its own guide. To set up a tournament first, see How to Create a Tournament.
How an Americano Works
In an Americano, each player competes individually while playing in rotating pairs. Everyone forms temporary teams throughout the tournament, and it finishes once everyone has had the chance to play with everyone else.
Matches are played to a set total of points, commonly 16, 24 or 32. This is the scoring format you chose when you created the tournament.
Each rally earns one point for the winning team.
A team serves 2 to 4 times before the serve passes to the opponents.
Points are recorded individually for each player.
When a match finishes, the points are given to each player based on the final score. In a 24 point match that ends 10 to 14, both players on the first team receive 10 points and both players on the second team receive 14 points.
Step 1: Check In Players
On the day of the tournament, open the tournament and go to the Players tab. Use the check-in option to check in the players as they arrive.
Checking in tells the system which players are actually here and available for the tournament today, rather than just who registered. Do this before you start the tournament.
Step 2: Start the Tournament
Go to the Matches tab and click Start Tournament.
The system then generates the rounds based on the number of players and creates the matches for each round. You'll see the pairings and who is playing whom in every round.
Step 3: Enter the Scores
Players play their matches and tell you the score when they finish. Enter each score in the tournament, following the scoring format you chose.
Example: the tournament uses the 24 point scoring format. A match finishes 10 to 14. You enter 10 for the first team and 14 for the second team.
Every time you submit a score, the scoreboard updates. If you turned on Scoreboard Visibility when creating the tournament, players only see the scoreboard once the tournament is complete.
Step 4: Replace Players and Manage Resting
Things change during a tournament. You can replace a player and change players in any round or in any pairing. Use the Replace option on the round or pairing you want to change.
Resting players
In an Americano, some players rest in some rounds. This happens because of the way the rounds are worked out, when there is an uneven number of players, or when someone gets injured.
When you open Replace, the system shows which players rested and in which rounds, so you can see who has had a break and who hasn't.
Example: a player rested in round 2. In round 3, you can give that player a game and let someone else rest instead. The same swap works if a player is injured and needs to sit out, or if you have an uneven number of players and need to share the resting fairly.
Step 5: Close the Tournament and Submit the Scores
When all the matches have been played, close the tournament and submit the final scores.
Competitive tournaments: closing is required, because the scores affect player ratings. Ratings are updated once, when the tournament is completed. See How Player Ratings Are Calculated.
Friendly tournaments: you can leave a friendly tournament open, because the scores don't affect ratings. We recommend closing it anyway, so the scores and everything else are locked.
Quick Checklist
When | What to do |
Players arrive | Players tab: check in each player |
Ready to begin | Matches tab: click Start Tournament |
During play | Enter each score as players report it, and use Replace for any changes or resting |
All matches done | Close the tournament and submit the scores |
To set up a tournament, see the How to Create a Tournament article.