The rules behind the results.
Choose your seeds
Enter names in strongest-first order for manual seeding, or choose a random draw. Standard seeding separates the highest-ranked entrants so they cannot meet in the opening round. Seeding is a planning choice, not a promise about who will win.
What happens with byes?
The bracket uses the next power of two: 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 positions. With six teams, two opening positions are byes. Those competitors advance without a played match; a bye is not a scored victory.
Correcting a result
If changing a winner alters a later match, the organiser explains which recorded results or schedules will be cleared before applying the correction. It is safer to remove a result than to award it to a different pair of competitors.
Example: a 12-team cup
A 12-team draw occupies 16 bracket positions with four byes. It needs 11 played matches to decide the champion. At 20 minutes per match on one court, that is 220 minutes before breaks; multiple courts can shorten the day, but later rounds still depend on earlier winners.
Compare match counts before choosing your format
For n entrants, a knockout needs n − 1 played matches to find a champion. A single round robin needs n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 matches; home and away doubles that figure. A third-place playoff adds one match to a knockout.
| Entrants | Knockout | Single round robin | Home and away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 6 | 5 | 15 | 30 |
| 8 | 7 | 28 | 56 |
| 12 | 11 | 66 | 132 |
| 16 | 15 | 120 | 240 |
Eight teams need seven knockout matches or 28 single round-robin fixtures. Choose knockout for a shorter event; choose round robin when playing every opponent matters. Court availability, rest periods and dependent rounds still affect the schedule.
Keep your work
Download a JSON backup or save in the browser workspace before closing your quick tool. Browser storage can be cleared and does not sync between devices. Print to paper or your browser’s Save as PDF destination; CSV exports work in spreadsheet software.