SMS Pairings & Results
Preview feature — not yet generally available. SMS pairings and texted results are being rolled out to a small group of preview customers. Enabling it requires ChessRoster staff, and end-to-end delivery is still being finalized. If you would like early access, contact ChessRoster support.
SMS pairings let players receive a text message the moment a round’s pairings are released — their board, color, and opponent — so they don’t have to crowd the wall chart. When enabled, the same text can also invite players to report their game result with a quick reply.
This page is a feature-level overview. For the detailed setup steps and the full SMS consent model, see Tournament Notifications.
What It Does
| Capability | Who it’s for | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Pairing texts | Players | A text (or email) goes out when a round’s pairings are posted, listing board, color, and opponent. |
| Director approval | Directors | Nothing is sent until a director reviews the exact messages and approves the release. |
| Texted results | Players | Each pairing text can ask the player to reply with their result. Director-confirmed. |
| Projected pairings | Players | An optional public tab showing likely matchups based on current registrations. |
Organizer Setup
Configuration lives in the Player Notifications step of the tournament form.
Staff-enabled. Because this is a preview feature, the pairing-notification toggles can only be switched on by ChessRoster staff. If you don’t see them, you’ll see a note directing you to contact support.
The step offers these switches:
- Enable pairing notifications — Adds an opt-in step to player registration so registrants can choose to receive pairing texts and/or emails.
- Collect game results by text — Appends a short “reply with your result” instruction to each pairing text. Available for standard Swiss sections only (one game per round); it stays off for round-robin, team, and double-blitz formats.
- Show projected pairings — Adds a Projected Pairings tab to the public tournament page. Matchups are recalculated as players register.
Result-by-text is offered only once a delivery channel for pairing texts is turned on. If you turn pairing texts back off, result collection turns off automatically.
The Approval Workflow
No message reaches a player without a director’s sign-off. After pairings are synced from SwissSys, ChessRoster prepares a release and emails your directors an approval link.
Pairings sync from SwissSys
ChessRoster detects the new round automatically and assembles a notification proposal.
Directors get an approval link
Each director receives an email. Opening it shows a preview of every queued message — player, board, color, contact method, and the exact text.
Customize, then approve
Before sending, a director can set the round start time, add an optional director note (up to 80 characters), and keep or remove the “Silence phones” reminder. Then they choose Approve and send or Decline.
The link expires after one hour
If no director approves within 1 hour, the release expires and nothing is sent for that round. A fresh link is sent on the next sync.
You can also review pending releases, sent counts, and your notification quota from the Notifications tab of the Tournament Management Panel.
What Players Experience
Getting pairing texts
Players opt in voluntarily — it’s never required to register. They can opt in:
- During registration, on the pairing-notifications step
- From the tournament page in their player account
- By replying START to any ChessRoster SMS
When a round is approved, opted-in players receive a text (and/or email) with their board, color, and opponent.
Reporting results
When Collect game results by text is on, each pairing text asks the player to reply with their result — for example, W for a win, then their first name. Players who got an email can instead tap a Report your result link and choose I won, We drew, or I lost.
Results are provisional. A texted or tapped result is a convenience for speeding up the round, not a final score. A tournament director can always confirm or correct it at the event.
Opting out
Players can stop messages at any time by replying STOP to any ChessRoster SMS, or by updating their player profile. Opting out applies across all ChessRoster tournaments — see the consent model in Tournament Notifications.
Related Topics
- Tournament Notifications — Detailed setup steps, the SMS consent model, and troubleshooting
- Creating Tournaments — Full walkthrough of the tournament creation wizard
- Tournament Management Panel — Where to monitor releases and your notification quota
- Reporting Your Result by Text — The player-facing guide to texted results