Tournament Management System

Pool/Court Creation

The system automatically calculates the number of pools (courts) based on the number of players:

• Formula: Number of pools = ⌈(Player Count - 3) / 4⌉
• Minimum: 1 pool (for 4-7 players)
• Examples:
  • 4-7 players → 1 pool
  • 8-11 players → 2 pools
  • 12-15 players → 3 pools
  • 16-19 players → 4 pools
• Max Courts Limit: You can set a maximum number of courts. The system will never create more pools than the specified maximum, even if the formula suggests more.
• Court Capacity: Each court/pool can accommodate 4 players for doubles matches.

Player Distribution to Pools

Ladder Format - Grade-Based Distribution

In Ladder format, players are distributed to pools based on their rating grades:

• Grade Calculation: Players are assigned grades (A, B, C, D) based on their rating percentile:
  • Grade A: Top 25% (75th-100th percentile)
  • Grade B: Upper-middle 25% (50th-75th percentile)
  • Grade C: Lower-middle 25% (25th-50th percentile)
  • Grade D: Bottom 25% (0th-25th percentile)
• Distribution Rule: Players of the same grade are placed in the same pool according to court capacity (4 players per court)
• Process:
  1. Players are sorted by rating (highest first)
  2. Players are grouped by grade (A, B, C, D)
  3. Grade A players fill the first court(s), then Grade B, then C, then D
  4. When a court reaches 4 players, the next court is used
  5. Same-grade players stay together in the same pool when possible
• Example: With 12 players (3 A-grade, 4 B-grade, 3 C-grade, 2 D-grade) and 3 courts:
  • Court 1: 3 A-grade + 1 B-grade
  • Court 2: 3 B-grade + 1 C-grade
  • Court 3: 2 C-grade + 2 D-grade

Other Formats - Distribution Methods

Round-robin, Knockout, and Teams formats: Players are distributed using a snake pattern:

• Pattern: Players are distributed in a zigzag pattern: 1→2→3→3→2→1→1→2→3...
• Process:
  1. Players are sorted by rating (highest first)
  2. First cycle (forward): Player 1→Court 1, Player 2→Court 2, Player 3→Court 3
  3. Second cycle (reverse): Player 4→Court 3, Player 5→Court 2, Player 6→Court 1
  4. Third cycle (forward): Player 7→Court 1, Player 8→Court 2, Player 9→Court 3
  5. This pattern continues until all players are distributed
• Purpose: This ensures balanced skill distribution across all pools
• Example: With 9 players and 3 courts:
  • Court 1: Players 1, 6, 7 (highest, 6th, 7th)
  • Court 2: Players 2, 5, 8 (2nd, 5th, 8th)
  • Court 3: Players 3, 4, 9 (3rd, 4th, 9th)

King of the Court (K/Q) and Random formats: Players are distributed in random/shuffled order:

• Random Distribution: Players are shuffled randomly before distribution
• Shuffle Button: Use the "Random" button in the player selection modal to shuffle players before distribution
• Process:
  1. Players are shuffled randomly (or in the order they were selected if shuffle button was used)
  2. Players are distributed to courts using snake pattern based on the shuffled order
  3. This creates varied matchups and prevents predictable pairings
• Purpose: Creates more dynamic and unpredictable matchups, ensuring variety in partnerships and opponents

Tournament Formats

1. Round-Robin Format

• Players are distributed to pools using snake pattern
• Within each pool, all possible 2v2 doubles combinations are generated
• For a pool with 4 players [A, B, C, D], matches are:
  • Match 1: [A, B] vs [C, D]
  • Match 2: [A, C] vs [B, D]
  • Match 3: [A, D] vs [B, C]
• Matches are scheduled across courts to avoid player conflicts

2. Ladder Format

• Player Distribution: Grade-based (same grade in same pool)
• Match Structure: Structured round-based pattern within each pool
• 4 Players: 3 rounds (A&B vs C&D, A&C vs B&D, A&D vs B&C)
• 5 Players: 5 rounds with one player waiting per round
• 6 Players: 8 rounds with two players waiting per round
• Waiting Players: Waiting players are distributed evenly across all courts for each round
• Each player in a pool plays every other player exactly once (n-1 matches per player)

3. Doubles Knockout Format

• Requirement: Even number of players (for doubles teams)
• Player Distribution: Snake pattern
• Phase 1 - Group Stage:
  • Teams are divided into groups
  • Round-robin matches within each group
  • Winners (W) and Runners-up (R) from groups advance
• Phase 2 - Knockout Stage:
  • Bracket: W1 vs R2, W3 vs R4 (odd winners vs even runners-up)
  • Other half: W2 vs R1, W4 vs R3 (even winners vs odd runners-up)
  • Continues until a champion is determined

4. Teams Format

• Player Distribution: Snake pattern
• Phase 1 - Round-Robin:
  • Each player plays every other player once (1v1 matches)
  • All unique matchups are generated
• Phase 2 - Snake Knockout:
  • Players are ranked based on round-robin results
  • Snake pairing: 1st vs Last, 2nd vs 2nd-to-last, 3rd vs 3rd-to-last, etc.
  • Continues until a champion is determined

5. King of the Court (K/Q) Format

• Player Distribution: Random/shuffled order (use Random button to shuffle)
• Initial Setup:
  • Players are shuffled randomly or in the order they were selected
  • First 4 players → Court 1, next 4 → Court 2, etc.
  • Players exceeding capacity go to Waiting Queue
  • Waiting players are distributed evenly across all courts
• Rotation Rules:
  • Court 1: Winners split (become opponents), Losers move to Court 2
  • Middle Courts: Losers move down, Winners move up
  • Last Court: Losers go to waiting queue, Winners move up
  • Waiting Queue: Front players enter to fill empty slots
  • Waiting Duration: Players wait only one round before entering play
• Dynamic Rounds: Next round is automatically generated when all matches in current round are completed
• Automatic Round Switching: When all matches in a round are completed, the system automatically switches to the next round
• Player Management: New players can be added during the tournament and will join the waiting queue
• Court Recalculation: When players are added or removed, courts are automatically recalculated based on the current player count

6. Random Format

• Player Distribution: Random/shuffled order (players are shuffled each round)
• Round-Based System: Matches are generated one round at a time
• Each Round:
  • All players are shuffled randomly at the start of each round
  • Players are distributed to courts using snake pattern based on shuffled order
  • Matches are created with random partnerships and opponents
  • Players exceeding court capacity go to Waiting Queue
• Partner/Opponent Restrictions:
  • Players who were partners in previous rounds cannot be partners again for several rounds
  • Players who were opponents in previous rounds cannot be opponents again for several rounds
  • This ensures variety in matchups throughout the tournament
• Waiting Players:
  • Waiting players are displayed for each match
  • Waiting players rotate each round as players are shuffled
  • All players get opportunities to play
• Dynamic Rounds: Next round is automatically generated when all matches in current round are completed
• Automatic Round Switching: When all matches in a round are completed, the system automatically switches to the next round
• Player Management: Players can be added or removed during the tournament
• Court Recalculation: When players are added or removed, courts are automatically recalculated and matches are regenerated

7. Manual Selection Format

• Player Distribution: Admin manually selects players and assigns them to specific courts
• Court Assignment:
  • Admin can add/remove courts and assign players to each court
  • Players can be moved between courts or removed from courts
  • Each court can have 4 or more players
• Match Generation:
  • Within each court, all possible 2v2 doubles combinations are generated
  • Each player plays every other player exactly once (round-robin within each court)
  • For a court with 4 players [A, B, C, D], matches are:
    • Match 1: [A, B] vs [C, D]
    • Match 2: [A, C] vs [B, D]
    • Match 3: [A, D] vs [B, C]
• Waiting Players:
  • If a court has more than 4 players, the first 4 players play
  • Remaining players are shown as waiting players
  • Waiting players are displayed for each match in that court
• Flexibility: Complete control over player distribution and court assignments

Rating System

• Initial Rating: New players start with a default rating (typically 1000)
• Rating Updates: Ratings change based on match results using an ELO-like system
• Grade Assignment: Players are assigned letter grades (A, B, C, D) based on their rating percentile:
  • Grades are calculated relative to all players in the system
  • Top 25% = Grade A
  • 50th-75th percentile = Grade B
  • 25th-50th percentile = Grade C
  • Bottom 25% = Grade D
• Rating Display: Shows both letter grade and numeric rating value

Match Scheduling

• Conflict Avoidance: Matches are scheduled to ensure no player appears in multiple matches at the same time
• Time Slots: Matches are organized into time slots where players can only be in one match per slot
• Court Assignment: Matches are distributed across available courts to maximize parallel play
• Automatic Progression:
  • In King of the Court format, when all matches in a round are completed, the next round is automatically generated
  • The round filter automatically switches to the next round

Player Management During Tournaments

• Ladder Format:
  • Players can be added or removed during the tournament
  • Pools are automatically rearranged based on new player count
  • Courts are recalculated according to the max courts setting
  • All matches are regenerated with new pool distribution
• King of the Court (K/Q) Format:
  • New players can be added during the tournament
  • New players join the waiting queue in the next round
  • Pools are automatically rearranged when players are added/removed
  • Courts are recalculated based on the new player count
  • All matches are regenerated with new distribution
• Random Format:
  • Players can be added or removed during the tournament
  • Courts are automatically recalculated when players are added/removed
  • All matches are regenerated with new distribution
  • Player shuffling continues in subsequent rounds
• Other Formats:
  • Player modification is only allowed before any matches are completed
  • Once matches are completed, players cannot be modified

Player Shuffling

• Random Shuffle Button: Available in both the "New Tournament" and "Manage Tournament Players" modals
• Functionality:
  • Randomly shuffles the order of selected players
  • Affects how players are distributed to courts
  • Useful for creating varied matchups in K/Q and Random formats
• When to Use:
  • King of the Court: Shuffle players before creating tournament for random initial distribution
  • Random Format: Players are automatically shuffled each round, but you can also shuffle before tournament creation
  • Other Formats: Can be used to create varied initial distributions
• Visual Feedback: The court distribution preview updates immediately to show the shuffled order

Admin Features

• Logout Security: Admins must enter their password to confirm logout
• Player Management: Admins can add, edit, and delete players
• Tournament Management: Admins can create, modify, and delete tournaments
• Match Management: Admins can modify completed matches if needed
• Statistics Access: Admins have full access to all statistics and reports

Tournament Archiving

• Archive Button: The archive button appears for tournaments that are either:
  • Completed (all matches finished), or
  • Passed (tournament date is in the past)
• Archived Tournaments Tab:
  • Archived tournaments are hidden from the main "Tournaments" tab
  • All archived tournaments are displayed in the "Archived Tournaments" tab
  • Admins can view reports and brackets for archived tournaments
  • Admins can unarchive tournaments to move them back to the active list
• Matches Tab - Show Archived:
  • By default, matches from archived tournaments are hidden in the matches tab
  • Check the "Show matches from archived tournaments" checkbox to view archived tournament matches
  • When the checkbox is checked, the tournament filter dropdown includes archived tournaments
  • When unchecked, only active tournaments appear in the tournament filter
• Purpose: Archiving helps keep the active tournament list clean and organized by moving completed or past tournaments to a separate archive

General Rules

• Minimum Players: Tournaments require at least 4 players
• Match Completion: Matches are completed by selecting the winning team
• Score Entry: Scores are automatically set (1-0 for winner, 0-1 for loser) when a winner is selected
• Rating Updates: Player ratings are automatically updated after match completion
• Filtering: Matches can be filtered by tournament, court, status, and round
• Tournament Column: The tournament column is hidden in the matches table when a tournament filter is applied