Two items whose absence most often puts an arbiter in an awkward spot:
Half of an ordinary arbiter's kit is for paperwork: printing pairings, collecting slips, copying out the standings. If the tournament runs in the Vibe Chess app, that part moves to the phone, and chargers and backup internet take its place.
| Item | Ordinary tournament | Tournament in Vibe Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Round pairings | print and post every round | on everyone's phone and on the hall screen |
| Standings | copy out by hand or print | updates by itself, goes on the screen |
| Chess clocks | a set per table plus spares | the clock on the players' phones, mechanical ones as spares |
| Batteries | essential | for the spare clocks |
| Result slips | one per game, every round | not needed: players enter the score |
| Printer | almost essential | not needed; standings as a PDF sheet |
| Laptop with pairing software | essential | not needed: pairings are in the app |
| Power banks and chargers | desirable | essential: phones work all tournament long |
| Phone holders | not needed | if games are recorded with the camera |
| Backup internet | desirable | essential |
| Scoresheets (classical) | needed | needed |
| Spare pieces and extra queens | needed | needed |
Scoresheets for classical stay: the camera records the game, but that does not cancel the FIDE requirement to keep a scoresheet. More about what else you do not need to print - a chess tournament without paper.
Three things that break at tournaments most often, and how to cover them:
The regulations and the FIDE Laws, the list of players, spare clocks and batteries, spare pieces and extra queens, pens and stationery, an extension lead and chargers, a first-aid kit. For classical - scoresheets.
For pawn promotion: if the required piece is not on the table, the player stops the clock and calls the arbiter. A queen in the arbiter's pocket saves time and avoids taking a piece from the next table.
At an ordinary tournament - almost always: pairings and standings are printed every round. If the tournament runs in the Vibe Chess app, pairings and standings are on everyone's phone and on the hall screen, and the final standings can be printed in advance or afterwards.
One or two for a tournament of up to 50 players. At a tournament with the clock on phones spare clocks are needed too: in case a player's phone dies.
Turn on a hotspot from the arbiter's phone or a mobile router. The Vibe Chess clock works without a network, and a weak mobile connection is enough for pairings and scores.
No arbiter skills required. The app takes over the part that usually stops people from running tournaments at all: who plays whom in each round and who finishes first.
The bot is constantly improved based on real tournaments. If you need a feature that isn't there yet, message the developers right inside the bot with the /support command. Many features appeared exactly because organizers asked for them, and useful ideas get added quickly.
More for arbiters and organisers: how many arbiters a tournament needs, the tournament organiser's checklist, tournament forms and protocols and arbiting a chess tournament.
At the board since childhood: hazy about his rating, precise about every rook he has blundered. Counts an evening as a good one if the opponent stayed to talk afterwards instead of rushing off to check with an engine. Message →
