Round Robin Generator
Type your players, one per line, and get the complete schedule: every round, every pairing, with byes worked out for you. Free, no signup, works on any device.
What is this?
A round robin is the all-play-all format: every player meets every other player exactly once. Nobody is knocked out early and nobody wins on a lucky draw, which makes it the fairest way to decide a small event. The catch is the number of games, which climbs quickly as you add people.
This tool builds the schedule using the circle method, the same approach behind the classic Berger tables published for chess. If your field is too big for an all-play-all, the Swiss pairing generator is the better starting point, and the Swiss rounds calculator will tell you how many rounds you would need instead.
How to use it
- Type or paste your players into the box, one name per line.
- Press Generate schedule. You get every round in order, with the boards numbered.
- If you have an odd number of players, one person sits out each round. That is the bye, and the tool shows who it is.
- Print the page or keep it open on a phone at the venue. The schedule never changes, so you can pin it up before round 1.
- Decide colours at the board, or let ChessHost assign them so nobody plays the same colour too many times in a row.
How many games and rounds you need
Rounds grow slowly, games grow fast. This is the table worth checking before you commit to an all-play-all, because a 12-player round robin is 66 games and will not fit in one evening.
| Players | Rounds | Total games | Practical? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 6 | Easily |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | Easily |
| 6 | 5 | 15 | Yes |
| 8 | 7 | 28 | Yes, a long session |
| 10 | 9 | 45 | Only over several nights |
| 12 | 11 | 66 | Use Swiss instead |
| 16 | 15 | 120 | Use Swiss instead |
Not sure the day will fit? The tournament duration calculator turns a round count into real hours, and round robin vs Swiss walks through choosing between the two.
Common questions
What is a round robin tournament?
In a round robin, every player plays every other player exactly once. Nobody is knocked out and nobody gets an easy draw, so the final standings reflect the whole field rather than one unlucky pairing. It is the fairest format there is, and the reason it is not used everywhere is simply that it takes the most games.
How many rounds does a round robin need?
With an even number of players you need one fewer round than you have players, so 8 players play 7 rounds. With an odd number you need as many rounds as players, because one person sits out each round, so 7 players also play 7 rounds. That is why an odd field costs you a round without adding a game.
How many games are in a round robin with 8 players?
28 games. The formula is players times players minus one, divided by two. So 6 players is 15 games, 8 players is 28, 10 players is 45 and 12 players is 66. Games grow much faster than players, which is why round robin stops being practical somewhere around 10 to 12 people for a single session.
What are Berger tables?
Berger tables are the standard published round robin schedules used in chess, named after Johann Berger. They are produced by the circle method: seat everyone in a circle, keep one player fixed, and rotate everyone else by one place each round. This generator uses that same circle method, so the schedule it prints matches the classic tables.
Should I use round robin or Swiss?
Use round robin when the field is small, up to about 10 players, and you have time for everyone to play everyone. Use Swiss when the field is larger or the session is short, because Swiss reaches a clear winner in far fewer rounds by pairing players on similar scores. A 16-player Swiss needs 5 rounds; a 16-player round robin needs 15.
What happens if I have an odd number of players?
One player sits out each round, which is called a bye, and the schedule rotates so everyone sits out exactly once. This generator works the byes out for you and shows who is resting in each round, so nobody is forgotten and nobody sits out twice.
Is this round robin generator free?
Yes, completely, with no signup and no account. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere. Running the full event in the ChessHost app, with results and standings tracked for you, is also free for events up to 9 players.
Want the results tracked too?
ChessHost runs the whole round robin: it keeps the schedule, records each result, works out the standings and settles ties for you. Free for events up to 9 players.
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