Tournament Guide
Everything you need to know
Our tournaments are designed to be fun, fair, and educational — for beginners and competitive players alike.
Format
How our tournaments work
Format
The Swiss system
All our tournaments use the Swiss-Dutch pairing system — the fairest format for one-day events. Unlike a knockout where one bad game sends you home, every player completes all 7 rounds regardless of results.
In round 1, players are paired more or less randomly (weighted by rating). From round 2 onwards, players on the same score are paired against each other. After a few rounds, the top board is always a leader vs. another leader; the bottom board is always a player looking for their first win. By the final round, every pairing is meaningful.
This means the tournament gets more competitive as it progresses — not less. A slow start is not the end; a strong finish can still land you on the podium.
Categories
Age groups
Age is determined by your age on 1 January 2026. If you have not yet reached an age on that date, you compete in that under-category — even if your birthday falls later in 2026. For example, a child who turns 10 in March 2026 is still 9 on 1 January and therefore plays in Under 10.
| Category | Age on 1 Jan 2026 | Birth year (2026) | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 6 | 5 and under | 2021 or later | Medals (Top 3) |
| Under 8 | 7 and under | 2019 – 2020 | Medals (Top 3) |
| Under 10 | 9 and under | 2017 – 2018 | Trophies (Top 3) |
| Under 12 | 11 and under | 2015 – 2016 | Medals (Top 3) |
| Under 14 | 13 and under | 2013 – 2014 | Medals (Top 3) |
| Under 16 | 15 and under | 2011 – 2012 | Trophies (Top 3) |
Structure
Group separation
Whenever attendance allows, U10 and U16 play as two separate groups. This keeps competition tighter and fairer within each age band.
The threshold is 8 registered players per group. If a group falls below 8, the two groups are merged into a single open section for the day.
Note that age categories (U6, U8, U10, U12, U14) exist within each group for medal purposes regardless of separation — see Prizes below.
Awards
Trophies & medals
🏆 Trophies — Overall top 3 per group
The top 3 finishers in each group (U10 group and U16 group) receive a trophy — 3 per group, up to 6 trophies on the day.
🥇 Medals — Top 3 per age category
Within each 2-year age band (U6, U8, U10, U12, U14), the top 3 players receive medals.
One award per player — best award wins
A player can only receive one award. If you qualify for both a trophy and a medal, you keep the trophy (the better award) and your medal position passes to the next eligible player in that category.
This also means a younger player can "snatch" an older category's trophy. For example, a 9-year-old who finishes 3rd overall in the U16 group wins the 3rd-place U16 trophy — not a U10 medal. The 1st-place U10 trophy then goes to the highest-finishing U10 player who hasn't already claimed a trophy. This actually benefits younger categories: strong young players free up more medals and trophies for their peers.
Standings
Tiebreakers
When two or more players finish on the same score, the following tiebreakers are applied in order:
- 1
Buchholz (variable with parameter)
Sum of your opponents' scores. Rewards players who faced stronger opposition.
- 2
Buchholz (variable with parameter — secondary)
A second Buchholz calculation with a different parameter, used to break remaining ties after TB1.
- 3
Sonneborn-Berger
Sum of the scores of opponents you beat, plus half the scores of opponents you drew against. Rewards quality of wins.
- 4
Direct Encounter
Head-to-head result between the tied players (only applicable when all tied players have played each other).
- 5
Number of Wins (including byes)
Total wins, counting forfeited games. Rewards decisive results over draws.
Ratings
Happy Pawn rating system
Every player in our tournaments has a Happy Pawn rating — a number that reflects their current strength. Ratings go up when you beat a stronger player and go down when you lose to a weaker one. The bigger the upset, the bigger the swing.
For example, if you are rated 800 and beat a player rated 950, you might gain +18 points while they lose 18. If you lose that same game, you might lose only 7 points because the result was expected.
| Round | Opponent rating | Result | Rating change | New rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 780 | Win | +12 | 812 |
| 2 | 850 | Loss | −9 | 803 |
| 3 | 800 | Win | +10 | 813 |
| 4 | 920 | Win | +19 | 832 |
| 5 | 830 | Draw | +1 | 833 |
| 6 | 760 | Loss | −15 | 818 |
| 7 | 810 | Win | +11 | 829 |
Example only — illustrative numbers.
Provisional ratings: From your very first Happy Pawn tournament, you receive a provisional rating. It is calculated and tracked internally after each game, but becomes official and publicly visible once you have completed 20 tournament games. Until then, you appear as "unrated" in the public standings — but your provisional rating is already being computed behind the scenes.
Updated ratings are published at the end of each tournament. You can check the current standings on our rankings page →
Rules
Key rules to know
Touch-move rule
If you touch a piece, you must move it — provided a legal move exists with that piece. If no legal move exists, you may play another piece but receive a warning. Once you release a piece on a square, the move is final and cannot be undone. Accidentally knocking a piece over is not considered touching it.
Warnings & forfeits
Warnings are issued for rule violations: an illegal move always earns a warning, but so does any misconduct — deliberately kicking the opponent under the table, shouting during a round, or any other breach of the rules. Accumulate 5 warnings in a single game and you forfeit that game.
Time forfeit
If your clock runs to zero, you lose the game — unless your opponent has insufficient mating material.
Draw offers not permitted
Draw offers between players are not allowed in our tournaments. Draws can only occur through stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule, or mutual agreement facilitated by the arbiter.
Phones & devices
All phones and electronic devices must be switched off during play. Using computer assistance — including chess engines or AI — results in immediate disqualification from the tournament.
Conduct
Shake hands before and after every game. Distracting or disrespectful behaviour will not be tolerated.
Etiquette
Do's & don'ts
✅ Do
- 🤚
When you touch a piece, you must play it if a legal move exists. If no legal move is available with that piece, you may play another — but you receive a warning for illegal move. Accidentally knocking a piece over does not count as touching it.
- ⏰
Use the same hand to make your move and press the clock.
- 🙋
If your opponent makes an illegal move, stop the clock and raise your hand to call the arbiter.
- 🤫
Keep silence in the chess area.
- 🕐
Take your time — do not play too fast!
- 🤝
Shake hands before the first move and at the end of the game.
- ♟️
Once your game is over, reset the board to its starting position and report the result to the arbiter.
- 👀
Check your result before the end of the round to make sure it was recorded correctly.
❌ Do not
- 🗣️
Intervene in other people's games.
- 🚪
Go outside without asking the arbiter.
- 🏃
Run in the venue.
- 🪜
Play in the stairs.
- 🎮
Play video games during the tournament.
- 😕
Cheat or lie — ever.
👶
First tournament? No worries.
Absolute beginners are welcome. There is no minimum rating requirement. Our arbiters are friendly and patient, and will explain anything that's unclear. We recommend a few lessons first so your child knows the basic rules — but beyond that, just come and enjoy!