Editing and Deleting Tournaments
You can modify a tournament on ChessRoster if you are a staff member of its organization or one of its tournament directors. If the tournament has no organization, the person who created it can also modify it.
How to Edit a Tournament
Go to the tournament page
Navigate to the tournament you want to edit on ChessRoster. If you have edit permissions, the Organizer view toolbar appears at the top of the page.
Select Edit settings
Select Edit settings to open the tournament editor. On mobile, the same action appears in the compact two-column organizer toolbar.
No organizer toolbar? You may not be logged in, or you may not have edit access to this tournament. Check your account and permissions.
What You Can Edit
The tournament editor is the same three-step wizard used to create the event — except that here every step is open, not just the first. Use the step indicator at the top to move between Register Tournament, Tournament Details, and Set Up Online Registration.
Most fields can be changed after the tournament is live:
- Tournament name, description, banner image, format, and rating types
- Location, dates, timezone, and time control
- Registration method, open/close dates, entry fees, and refund policy
- Sections — names, rating limits, capacity, and pricing
- Custom registration questions
- Directors and staff assignments
Previewing a Draft
A draft stays private to you and its tournament directors. Use its preview page to inspect the public-facing Info, Roster, Sections, and other available tabs before publishing. Navigation and shared links remain inside the private preview while the tournament is a draft; they do not accidentally send you to a public copy of the event.
Fields With Post-Creation Restrictions
See Fields With Post-Creation Restrictions for the canonical list of fields that become fixed or restricted after creation.
Restrictions on Sections with Registrations
If a section already has registered players, some changes are restricted:
- You cannot reduce section capacity below the current registration count.
- Deleting a section is not available once players have registered into it.
Deleting a Tournament
To delete a tournament, open the overflow menu (three-dot icon) in the Organizer view toolbar and select Delete Tournament. The same overflow action is available in the mobile toolbar.
Tournaments with paid registrations cannot be deleted. If any player has paid for registration through ChessRoster, the delete option is blocked to protect payment records. To close the event and issue refunds, withdraw players individually from the management panel using the appropriate refund option.
Tournaments with only manual (unpaid) registrations can be deleted — those registrations are removed along with the tournament. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Should You Delete Old Tournaments?
Old tournaments generally do not need to be deleted. Keeping them on ChessRoster provides lasting value:
- Players can review their past participation.
- Organizers can reference previous event details.
- The chess community maintains a historical record.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No organizer toolbar visible | Confirm you are logged in and are a staff member of the tournament’s organization, one of its directors, or (for a tournament with no organization) its creator. |
| Edit option is greyed out | Tournament Directors have limited edit access — contact an organization Admin to make structural changes. |
| Cannot reduce section capacity | The new capacity is below the current registration count for that section. |
| Delete option is not available | The tournament has paid registrations processed through ChessRoster. Withdraw players individually with refunds before deleting, or contact support. |