Uploading a SwissSys Event to ChessRoster
Uploading a SwissSys event to ChessRoster publishes your tournament results, pairings, and standings to a public page on ChessRoster. Players can view the event online, and organizers get a permanent record.
This is the manual alternative to the live auto-sync available when accounts are linked. Use file upload when you want to publish results after the fact, or when you prefer not to link your desktop software directly.
Which approach is right for you? If SwissSys is linked to ChessRoster and you are running v11.76+, results and pairings sync automatically after each round — no manual upload needed. Use this page if you are publishing results without a linked account, or uploading a completed event after the fact.
Prerequisites
- SwissSys v11 with a tournament file ready
- A ChessRoster account
What You’re Uploading
The upload uses a web report — a JSON file generated by SwissSys that contains tournament data in a format ChessRoster understands. The web report includes:
- Player names, ratings, and federation IDs
- Pairings for all completed rounds
- Results and standings
The web report is not your working SwissSys tournament file (.sjson). It is a separate .json export produced from inside SwissSys.
Step 1: Create the Web Report in SwissSys
Open the Internet menu
In SwissSys, go to the Internet menu and select “Create web report for uploading”.
Fill in the tournament details
Complete the form with your tournament information:
- Tournament name — the name displayed on ChessRoster
- Starting date — the first day of the event
- City — where the tournament was held
- TD/Arbiter — the tournament director’s last name
State/province, affiliate, and country/federation are optional but will appear on the public page if provided.
Generate the report
Click “Create report”. SwissSys produces a .json file.
Save the file
Save the .json file somewhere easy to find, such as your Desktop.
Do not check “Write to NACH file” and do not fill in the lower section of the web report form. Leave those fields empty.
Step 2: Upload to ChessRoster
Log in to ChessRoster
Go to chessroster.com and sign in.
Open the upload dialog
You can start an upload two ways:
- Drag and drop anywhere: Drag the
.jsonreport file onto any ChessRoster page while signed in — the upload dialog opens automatically. - From the management dashboard: Go to your Tournament Management page and click the “Add Tournament” button (the swords icon). In the dialog, click “Upload Report”.
Upload the JSON file
In the dialog (titled “Create New Tournament or Update Tournament Report”), drag and drop the .json file onto the upload area, or click to browse and select it.
Select an organizer
Choose the organizer to associate with this tournament:
- Select an existing organizer from your list if available.
- Choose “Personal Organization” if the organizing club or organization is not yet set up on ChessRoster.
Choose new or existing tournament
Use the Tournament dropdown to select where to upload:
- Create New Tournament — creates a fresh event page. Use this the first time you upload a tournament.
- Select an existing tournament — choose a tournament already on ChessRoster to update its report data.
If the tournament name in your report matches an existing tournament, ChessRoster auto-selects it for updating.
Selecting “Create New Tournament” for an event already on ChessRoster will create a duplicate listing. Choose the existing tournament from the dropdown instead.
Complete the upload
Click “Create Tournament” (for a new event) or “Update Tournament” (for an existing one). ChessRoster processes the file and creates or updates the tournament page, then takes you to it.
After the Upload
Once the upload completes:
- A tournament page is created (or updated) on ChessRoster with all pairings and results from the file.
- The page is immediately public and viewable by players.
- You can upload an updated web report at any time — for example, after each round — to keep results current.
When to Use Upload vs. Live Sync
| Situation | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| Publishing results after the event | File upload |
| Keeping results live during the event | Linked account auto-sync (v11.76+) |
| One-time upload of a historical event | File upload |
| Ongoing tournament with multiple rounds | Linked account auto-sync |
Troubleshooting
“Only SwissSys .json reports are supported”
The file you selected is not a .json file. Upload only the .json web report generated by SwissSys.
Message about an .sjson tournament file
If ChessRoster detects that you uploaded a SwissSys .sjson tournament file instead of a web report, it asks you to export a web report instead (Internet → Create web report for uploading). The .sjson file is your working tournament file, not the upload format.
Players or results are missing from the upload
The web report only includes data that was entered in SwissSys at the time you created the report. Re-generate the report after entering all results, then upload the new file.
Duplicate tournament created by accident
Contact moc.retsorssehc@troppus to merge or remove the duplicate.
Related Topics
- How It Works — Overview of the ChessRoster and SwissSys workflow
- Linking Accounts — Real-time sync alternative to file upload
- SwissSys Documentation — Full SwissSys reference