How many games are played in a Round Robin tournament?

In a single round robin with N players, each player plays N - 1 rounds. The total number of games played is N * (N - 1) / 2. For example, an 8-player tournament requires 7 rounds and a total of 28 games.

How do you handle an odd number of players in a Round Robin?

When the player count is odd, add a dummy 'Bye' player to make the number even. Whoever is paired against the Bye sits out that round. Every player will get exactly one scheduled rest round during the tournament.

How to Set Up a Round Robin Chess Tournament for School Clubs

If you run an after-school chess club or a classroom championship, the Round Robin format (also known as an all-play-all tournament) is often the most enjoyable format you can choose. Unlike elimination brackets where weaker kids are knocked out early, in a round robin, every student gets to play a game against every single classmate.

Here is everything you need to know to set up, schedule, and direct a successful school chess round robin.

1. When to Choose Round Robin vs. Swiss

Round robin tournaments are ideal when you have a manageable group of students (typically 4 to 12 players) and several club sessions to complete the games:

Classroom Championships: 6 to 10 students over multiple weekly meetings.
Club Ladder Tournaments: Accurate ranking where nobody can claim they had an easier path to first place.
Team Selection Trials: Selecting the top 4 players to represent the school at regional inter-school tournaments.

2. Understanding Berger Pairing Tables

In a Round Robin tournament, pairings are not calculated based on results like a Swiss system; they are predetermined by mathematical rotation tables known as Berger Tables. The classic rotation algorithm works like this:

Player #1 remains fixed at Board 1.
All other players rotate clockwise around the circle by one position in each successive round.
This guarantees that every player meets every opponent exactly once, with alternating colors.

Students	Total Rounds	Total Games	Games Per Student
4 players	3 rounds	6 games	3 games
6 players	5 rounds	15 games	5 games
8 players	7 rounds	28 games	7 games
10 players	9 rounds	45 games	9 games

3. Tie-Breaks for Round Robin: Sonneborn-Berger

Because every student plays the exact same set of opponents, standard Buchholz tie-breaks cannot differentiate tied scores. Instead, arbiters use the Sonneborn-Berger (SB) system:

Sonneborn-Berger = ∑ (Scores of Opponents Defeated) + ½ ∑ (Scores of Opponents Drawn)

Defeating a top competitor yields far more tie-break points than defeating the last-place player.

Create a School Round Robin in Seconds

ChessManager Online generates Berger tables instantly, handles odd student counts with clean byes, and publishes a live crosstable that students and parents can view on their phones.

Start School Tournament →