Online Chess Tournament FAQs

ChessWorld promotes various types of tournaments, including:

• All-Play-All – up to 15 players, each plays White & Black against everyone.
• Knockouts – winner progresses, Black advances in drawn games.
• Team Tournaments – paired by board number, usually 8 games per player.
• Simuls – one Host plays many Challengers simultaneously.
• Pyramids – level-based, win to rise, lose to drop.

Go to Join Games ... Create New Tournament. Options include tournament type, nickname, ideas, time limits, private/public settings, invitations, and more. For Knockouts, check the Random Pairing box if desired. Click Submit to confirm.

Consider the ability of players and use rating restrictions (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced). You may also require a minimum number of games played before joining. By default, creators are enrolled in their tournament.

All-Play-All: The number of games grows quickly with more players (e.g., 6 games in a 4-player event, 28 games each in 15-player).

Knockouts: Single game per round (e.g., 16 players = 4 rounds). Admin only can create 32+ player KOs.

You may cancel a created tournament before it starts (via My Stuff ... My Tournaments). You may leave a tournament you joined, but only before it begins.

Norms are awarded for success in tournaments. Accumulated norms lead to Tournament Titles, ranging from Tournament Winner (TW) to Senior Elite Tournament Grandmaster (SETGM).

If a Knockout game ends in a draw, the player with Black advances. In the final, the Tournament is awarded to Black in the case of a draw.

Games may be marked T-T (abandoned) if no claim is made after (2 × time limit) + 1 day. No rating is lost, but you miss out on tournament points.

A Simul allows one Host to play multiple Challengers at once. Hosts can add many games to their load; challengers add only one. Hosts choose color, time limit, rating range, and restrictions.

Visit Join Games ... Create New Simul to host, or Join Games ... Join New Simuls to challenge. Guests cannot create Simuls. Hosts may restrict by rating, country, or membership status.

Simuls can be rated or unrated. Results affect ratings, but no tournament norms are awarded for Simul wins.

Pyramids are level-based tournaments where you challenge others on your level. Win to move up, lose to move down. Games are always two per level (White and Black). Champions League Pyramid exists for 2500+ rated players.

Visit Join Games ... Join New Pyramids. Once joined, you can challenge available players or be challenged. Challenges cannot be refused.

Yes, via the Pyramid homepage. It’s courteous to resign ongoing games rather than letting them time out.