Experimental FIDE Burstein Pairing System

2026 rules · variable Dutch seeding · bounded Burstein search · not FIDE-endorsed
Register players and review the initial color allocation and TPN list. Settings are saved automatically.

Tournament settings

Settings are saved automatically. Registration closes when the first round is successfully generated. Scoring, initial color, and round-count settings then lock.

Final ranking: points, BH-1, BH, then SB. Players still equal share a rank; TPN controls only their display order. Nonstandard bye awards must be authorized by the tournament regulations.

Players (0 / 60)

During the Dutch seeding rounds, score and TPN determine the pairing order. After seeding, players within each Burstein bracket are ranked by Buchholz, then Sonneborn-Berger, then ascending TPN. Importing a TRF here imports registration fields only, not its tournament history. The participant list is limited to 60 players.

TPN Name Rating Title Status Next round Actions

Round pairings

Board White Result Black
Engine trace 
No trace.

Score list

Completed rounds

Imported or previously generated pairings are not retrospectively certified by this application. The archive is the source of scores, played colors, opponents, float history, and tie-break calculations.

Paste registration list

CSV, tab-separated, or semicolon-separated: Name, Rating, Title. Quote a comma-containing name, or use Surname, First name, Rating, Title. TRF06 registration fields are also recognized.

About this implementation

Experimental bounded implementation of the FIDE Burstein System effective February 1, 2026. It is not FIDE-endorsed and must not be treated as a certified pairing checker.

The first half of the scheduled rounds, rounded down and capped at four rounds, are paired using the embedded FIDE Dutch engine. Subsequent rounds use the Burstein System.

The post-seeding pairing ranking is Buchholz, then Sonneborn-Berger, then ascending TPN. Player scores define the scoregroups but are not part of the in-bracket ranking.

The pairing-allocated bye is assigned before bracket pairing. Brackets are then searched in the candidate order prescribed by the Burstein rules, applying criteria C1 through C8 in priority order.

Pairing Index calculations treat an unplayed game as a game against oneself. The special treatment of consecutive trailing zero-point byes is applied when evaluating the scores used by actual over-the-board opponents.

Pairing searches use fixed time and node limits. An interrupted search never publishes a provisional pairing. Large or difficult positions may still exceed the search limits.

Note: The maximum number of participants is 60.

Once a round is confirmed, an incorrectly recorded result can be corrected through the GUI, provided that a tournament backup was previously created using the "Save Tournament" function.

Not implemented: acceleration, arbitrary additional pairing restrictions, adjournments, or an administrative workflow for altering published pairings and correcting archived results. The built-in tests are developer regression tests, not the official FIDE endorsement suite.