Tournament FAQ

The background for this page is the Tournaments page.

When is the registration deadline?: Registrations are open until the pairings of round one are done. Parings are usually done a couple of minutes before the scheduled start time of the round.
How do I know when the tournament page for the next tourney is posted?: Check the the Tournament Schedule.
How do I know where the tournament is held?: Check the tournament page for that tournament. Tournaments are usually held in the Tournament Room.
How do I know who my opponent is?: You must be in the tournament room before the pairings are made to get an opponent for that round. One minute after the pairings are made, a box appears on your screen asking you to join your game. Click "OK" and a game window appears with your name and your opponent's name in the title bar.
How long are the matches? When is next round?: Please check for that information on the tournament page.
Do tournament games count as rated games?: No. The tournament games don't count for the rank computation.

What are the requirements for entering a KGS tournament?

That you are registered on KGS.
For the open divisions, you do not have to have a rank.
For the other divisions, you must have a rank and be a "regular player" on KGS. The tournament page tells you what a "regular players" is.
It is important that you meet the "regular player" requirement (unless you sign up for the open division). You alone are responsible for ensuring that you meet it.
Check the tournament page for more information on the entrance requirements for a specific tournament.

I have an issue with the scoring of my tournament game! What do I do?: Please contact the Tournament Director as soon as possible. The TD will be able to decide the game as long as the round is not over.
Do 2^nd place people get a silver crown?: Yes, in single/double elimination or Round Robin tournaments. In Swiss and McMahon tournaments, you earn a silver crown by winning all your games. Also, you must play in every round. If you get a system bye, that counts as having played in that round. If you earn a gold crown, you do not also get a silver crown.
I lost my game, is the tournament over for me?: Only elimination tournaments can end early for you. In Swiss and McMahon tournaments, you can still play all the rounds even if you lose all your games. In a Single Elimination tournament, you are out as soon as you lose one game. In a Double Elimination tournament, you still have a chance, you have to lose two games before the tournament ends for you.
Can I lose points if I don't fill in the dame after the yose in a game with AGA rules?: You lose points if you pass while there are still dame to be filled in, unless your oponnent also passes.
Is my score updated as soon as I finish my game, or when the round is over?: As soon as you finish your game.

In Swiss and McMahon Tournaments, how do you choose who wins?: The highest score wins. If there is a tiebreaker, then the SOS (Sum of Opponents' Scores) and the SODOS (Sum of Defeated Opponents' Scores) are used to break the tie.
Can players with a tilde (~) after their name play in Swiss and McMahon tournaments?: Absolutely. Tilde players are welcome in all KGS tournaments. Swiss and McMahon tournaments are ideal for players who perfer to play against stronger opponents. You generally play against stronger opponents every time you are awarded a point.
What is a Swiss Tournament?: One that uses Swiss Pairings
What is a McMahon Tournament?: One that uses McMahon Pairings.
The McMahon Tournament has not started, why are there already some scores?: The initial score is given according to the players registering rank.
I am 23k and the McMahon Tournament announcement says that the "bars" are 13k and 1k. Can I still play?: Yes. You start on the 13k bar. You then advance one bar every time you win a game, just like all the other players.
How does the McMahon pairing system work? What is a "bar"? Who is McMahon, anyway?: For the answers to these questions, please see the KGS McMahon Pairings page.
Why not just set the initial scores in a McMahon tournament equal to the rank of the player?: Because kyu players do not like starting out with a negative initial score.

What is a bye?: You are given a "bye" when you do not play. You still advance to the next round. There are three kinds of byes: 1) "no show" byes, 2) "requested byes," and 3) "system" byes.

What is the difference between "Bye (No Show)", "Bye (Requested)" and "System Bye"?

System Bye
The system can not schedule all players to play in every round if there is an odd number of players. The system might not schedule a game for you in some round. You are counted as if you had played and won. For tournaments with scores you get a full point if you have a system bye.
Bye (No Show)
You are given a "Bye (No Show)" if you are not online when the pairings are drawn. The "No Show" bye is worth half a point for tournaments with scores.
Bye (Requested)
If you do not want to play in a particular round, please request a bye through the tournament pages in advance of that round. You may then be awarded a "Bye (Requested)" for that round. The "Requested" bye is worth half a point for tournaments with scores.

Is it important to request a bye when I can't play?: Yes. It is very important to request a bye from the tournament pages when you don't intend to play a round. If you forget about the round or don't disconnect properly, then your account may be online when the pairings are drawn; you are then paired to a player and you have to play. If you don't join the game, your opponent has to wait for you in an empty goban, which is very annoying. So please ask for a bye. You get half a point for the round (for tournaments with scores) and you won't make a player waste his time!
How many byes can I get?: The Tournament Pages tell you the maximum number of byes that you can get without being dropped from the tournament. System byes do not count towards your total. System byes have no effect on whether or not you are dropped from the tournament.
It's unfair, a player who doesn't play can get half a point!: It is true that a player who can't show up for a round gets half a point. That doesn't mean it's unfair. Not playing is better than losing, but not as good as winning. Half a point is better than no points, but not as good as a full point. One half point is just a player's most likely result if they play in the round.

In 2008 there was a special tournament on KGS sponsored by Suk B.Choi.

AGA: American Go Association
dame: a neutral point between two groups of stones
SODOS: Sum of Defeated Opponents' Scores
SOS: Sum of Opponents' Scores
TD: Tournament Director
yose: The endgame in a game of go. Under the AGA rules, the dame are filled in after the yose is complete.