Arena is the format most people meet first, because it is what runs constantly on the site. It is not a Swiss tournament and does not behave like one.
| Swiss | Arena | |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds | a fixed number, everyone plays the same | as many as you can fit in the time |
| Pairings | by score, no rematches | whoever is free at that moment |
| Games played | equal for all | depends on how fast you play |
| Waiting | everyone waits for the round to finish | a new game starts immediately |
| Suits | a club event with a real table | casual mass play |
The consequence that matters: in an arena the winner is often whoever played the most games, not whoever played the best. For a club championship that is the wrong incentive - you want a Swiss - how a Swiss is structured.
A Swiss on Lichess is created inside a team: the site ties the format to a group rather than leaving it open, which is exactly what a club needs.
The team requirement is the step people miss. If your players are not in the team beforehand, the start of the event turns into ten minutes of admin while everybody joins - general organizing advice.
The absent-player problem is the biggest practical difference from an over-the-board event: online, people sign up far more casually. Announce that withdrawals should be actual withdrawals, and remove obvious no-shows between rounds.
Where it genuinely shines: a club championship played over several weeks with one round a night, an event for players in different cities, or a way to keep the club alive between seasons - club events.
A Swiss has a fixed number of rounds and pairs by the rules of the system - which is closer to an over-the-board event. An arena pairs players continuously for the whole allotted time, participants join and drop out freely, and the winner is decided by the number of points scored.
Create a team on the platform, invite the players by link and create a Swiss tournament inside the team with the time control, number of rounds and start time you want. All of it is free and there is no limit on the number of tournaments.
3+2 or 5+3 with five to seven rounds: people play faster online than at the board, and an hour and a half is the practical limit of a player's attention.
No. The platform is built for games played on it. For a tournament at a real board you need arbiter software or an app that handles the pairing and the standings of an offline event.
Yes, until half the rounds have been played. A latecomer gets half a point for each missed game and enters the pairing from the next round.
The clock starts without you, your time runs out and the game goes to your opponent. After a no-show the system removes the player from the tournament so they do not lose the remaining rounds - you can come back at any moment. Players who disappear regularly are temporarily barred from entering new tournaments.
By the Sonneborn-Berger score: the sum of the scores of the opponents the player beat, plus half the scores of those they drew with. The same tie-break is used at over-the-board events.
Only a team leader, and only members of that team can take part. That is why the preparation starts with creating a team and inviting the players by link.
No. Online tournaments on playing platforms affect only the internal rating of the platform itself. Being rated by a federation requires a separate procedure with an application, an arbiter and a report.
The Vibe Chess app is built for an evening over the board, not for online play: it keeps the sign-up list, the pairings and the table while you deal with people and the venue. All of it free.
score groups, no rematches, no second bye
everyone plays everyone, the app works out the number of rounds
who is free and who is already at a board is shown under Now
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.
Online - choosing a platform, fair play. Software - Swiss-Manager, Chess-Results.
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 →
