How do I organize a playoff tournament with La Ronde Suisse?

The playoff (or knockout) system allows a Swiss round tournament to end with a final phase in which the best players compete in knockout matches. This guide explains how this system works and how to use it in your tournament.

What is a knockout tournament?

A knockout tournament (or “bracket”) is a phase in which :

  • Players compete in individual matches
  • The loser of each match is eliminated
  • Winner advances to next round
  • The process continues until only one player remains (the champion).

Classic playoff structure

The playoffs are played with a number of players that is a power of 2:

  • 2 players: Final (1 round required)
  • 4 players: Semi-finals (2 rounds required)
  • 8 players: Quarter-finals (3 rounds required)
  • 16 players: 1/8th final (4 rounds required)
  • 32 players: 1/16th final (5 rounds required)
  • 64 players: 1/32nd final (6 rounds required)

Playoffs setup

Activate playoffs

  1. Go to Tournament settings
  2. Activate the “Activate playoff phase” option
  3. Select the number of playoff qualifiers

Number of available qualifiers

The number of qualifiers depends on the total number of participants in your tournament:

  • 2 or more participants: Final (2 players)
  • 4 or more participants: Semi-finals (4 players)
  • 8 participants or more: Quarter-finals (8 players)
  • 16 participants or more: 1/8th final (16 players)
  • 32 participants or more: 1/16th final (32 players)
  • 64 participants or more: 1/32nd final (64 players)

Ronde Suisse advances to the Playoffs

There are two ways to start the playoff phase:

1. Automatic start (recommended)

When you activate the playoffs in the settings :

  • Finish all your Swiss rounds as normal
  • Once the maximum number of rounds has been reached, the system automatically proposes to launch the playoffs.
  • The button changes from “Start a round” to “Continue to Top X” (where X is the number of qualifiers).

Example: If you have set up 16 participants and selected “Quarter-finals (8)”, after the last Swiss round you will see “Continue to Top 8”.

2. Early start (manual)

If you want to finish the Swiss tournament early and go straight to the playoffs :

  1. Complete the current round (all matches must be played)
  2. Click on the “⋮” button (tournament actions)
  3. Select “Start playoffs now”.
  4. The system immediately creates the first playoff round with the highest-ranked players.

Important: Once the playoffs have started, you can’t go back to the Swiss rounds, unless you delete the first playoff round.

Bracket algorithm (Seeds sorting)

Seeding principle

Players are ranked according to their final position in the Swiss round (1st to 10th). They are then placed in the bracket in a precise order to ensure that :

  • The best player (seed 1) takes on the worst qualified player
  • The best players only meet in the final
  • Each half of the bracket contains a balanced mix of strong and weak players

Example with 8 players (Quarter-finals)

Ranking after the Swiss round :

  1. Alice (1st)
  2. Bob (2nd)
  3. Charlie (3rd)
  4. Diana (4th)
  5. Eve (5th)
  6. Frank (6th)
  7. Grace (7th)
  8. Hugo (8th)

Round 1 (Quarter-finals ) :

  • Match 1: Alice (1) vs Hugo (8)
  • Match 2: Eve (5) vs Diana (4)
  • Match 3: Charlie (3) vs Frank (6)
  • Match 4: Grace (7) vs Bob (2)

Round 2 (Semi-finals ) :

  • Match A: Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2
  • Match B: Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4

Round 3 (Final):

  • Final: Winner Match A vs Winner Match B

Seeding order for different numbers of players

4 players (Semi-finals):

  • 1 vs 4
  • 2 vs 3

16 players (1/8th final):

  • 1 vs 16, 9 vs 8
  • 5 vs 12, 13 vs 4
  • 3 vs 14, 11 vs 6
  • 7 vs 10, 15 vs 2

This order ensures that #1 and #2 can only meet in the final, and that the top 4 can only meet in the semi-finals.

Playoff match procedure

Determining the winner

For each playoff match, the system determines the winner according to these rules:

  1. A player has more victories → He advances to the next round
  2. Tie (draw, 0-0, or same number of wins) → The highest-ranked player in the Swiss round ranking advances
  3. Only one player in the match → He advances by forfeit

Example:

  • Match: Alice (ranked 3rd) vs Bob (ranked 7th)
  • Result: 1-1 (tie)
  • Winner: Alice (best Swiss round ranking)

Progression in the bracket

After each round :

  • The winners automatically qualify for the next round.
  • The system automatically creates the matches for the next round
  • The number of players is divided by 2 each round
  • The tournament ends when only one player remains (final played).

Frequently asked questions

What happens if two players are tied in the Swiss rankings?

The system uses the ranking criteria configured in the parameters (Resistance, direct performance, etc.) to break the tie.

Can the number of qualifiers be changed after the playoffs have started?

No, the number of qualifiers is fixed at the start of the playoffs.

Can eliminated players continue to play?

No, in a knockout system, eliminated players don’t play anymore. If you want them to continue, consider a “consolation” system (not currently implemented).

How do playoff colors work?

If color allocation is activated, the system balances the colors as in Swiss rounds, taking into account the history of each player.

See also