Chess Tournaments – Different Types of Chess Tournaments

Chess is one of the oldest games known to man, and has developed in many ways over the long course of its history to become the diverse game it is today. Chess tournaments may come in a variety of different styles; here are the major ones.

Knockout Chess Tournaments

Probably the most popular of all chess tournaments is the knock out chess tournament. These type of chest competitions are common both online and on-land and are very similar to knock out contests in sports. The entrants of these chess contests are organized into groups, the winner of which progresses to the next round to play against the winners of other groups. The winner of knock out chess competitions is the player who has won every game he has played.

Re-buy Knockout Chess Tournaments

Re-buy knockout chess tournaments are becoming more and more popular in online chess venues. These types of chess events work much like knock-out tournaments, except with re-buy tournaments of chess the player has an option to pay some money to have another go if he's eliminated in the early stages of play. Re-buy chess competitions show an influence from the poker world, where re-buy tournaments are very popular and the concept is no longer new.

Round Robin Chess Tournaments

The opposite of knockout chess tournaments are round robin chess tournaments. Round robin chess events have each player compete against every other player in his group or section. In these chess matches points will be allocated for wins and draws. At the end of the round, those players with the highest score will progress to the next round, when the same process will be repeated.

Swiss Chess Tournaments

In a tournament of chess that is played on-land, but also sometimes online, it is the system of Swiss chess tournaments that are used. Swiss chess tournaments take players abilities and levels into account when pairing up chess matches. Most land based tournaments, including the International Chess Olympiad, will use this system.

Satellite Chess Tournaments

Satellite chess tournaments may require some explanation, as their meaning is different to satellite tournaments that you might come across in other sports. Satellite chess tournaments, are chess events that are hosted in several physical locations; meaning that one tournament could be spread over several cities.

Heads up Chess Tournaments

Heads up chess tournaments are generally of a higher standard than all the others and will generally consist of 2 players only. Heads up chess tournaments are much like the finals of any other of the types of chess tournaments, except that with heads up chess events, the two players have been invited specifically for heads up play. When you see a world championship challenge, for example, these are heads up chess matches.

If you are new to chess events and tournaments, the jargon is not something to worry about. Most chess tournaments will clearly state what type they are, and in time, you will find yourself automatically gravitating to one type over another.