Prize Class Rating Ranges
This dialog tells SwissSys which rating range belongs to each class when it calculates class prizes. It can also treat the ranges as ages or grades instead of ratings.
Access: Reports > Prizes, Class prizes tab, Set class rating/age ranges…
Any class setup is valid, and SwissSys calculates it correctly, whatever the order or overlap. See Rating range restrictions for what that covers.
Setting Up Rating Ranges
The grid has one column per class. List the top class first if you use the Highest class first priority button, which treats Class 1 as the top class. Each column has three rows:
| Row | Enter |
|---|---|
| Name | The class name shown on the prize report, such as “A” or “U2000” |
| High | The highest rating (or age/grade) in the class |
| Low | The lowest rating (or age/grade) in the class |
What you enter as the Low decides whether unrated players can win the class:
- 0 includes unrated players in the class.
- 1 includes every rated player up to the High but excludes unrated players. Use 1 for Under prizes that unrated players can’t win.
- A higher Low, such as 100, also excludes unrated players, along with anyone rated below it. U1800 = 1799-100 over U1600 = 1599-100 works as true Under prizes.
- A separate unrated class uses 0 for both High and Low.
A player whose rating falls in two classes is eligible for both and gets the best prize they can win (US Chess rule 32B1). Overlapping classes, gaps between classes, Unders mixed with regular classes, and an Unrated 0-0 class anywhere in the list all work.
Buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Insert new column | Adds a class. SwissSys asks whether to insert it before or after the selected column. |
| Delete this column | Removes the selected class. |
| Class defaults | Fills in A = 1999-1800, B = 1799-1600, C = 1599-1400, D = 1399-1200, E = 1199-1, and Unr = 0-0. |
| Under prize defaults | Fills in U2000 = 1999-1, U1800 = 1799-1, U1600 = 1599-1, U1400 = 1399-1, U1200 = 1199-1, and Unr = 0-0. |
When you click OK, SwissSys refuses only three things. There are no Ignore or Cancel prompts. Fix the entry and click OK again.
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
Error in numeric format. followed by the class | A High or Low isn’t a number. |
Settings in conflict. | Put unrated in top class only is checked and another class has a Low of 0. |
Class 3 has a High of 1600 below its Low of 1799, so no player could win it. followed by Put the highest rating (or age) in the High row and the lowest in the Low row. | A class’s High is below its Low. |
Age and Grade Classes
Check Treat ranges below as age/grade values to have SwissSys compare the ranges with each player’s age or grade instead of rating. For example, enter 6 as the High and 5 as the Low for a grade 5-6 class. Use 0 for kindergarten.
Unrated Player Options
Check Put unrated in top class only to let unrated players compete for prizes in the top class only. Use it for a class such as “Expert/Unr”: enter 2199-2000 as the range and check the box to add unrated players.
With this box checked, no other class can have a Low of 0.
On the Class prizes tab, a class that includes unrated players because of this setting is marked with an asterisk (*) after its range.
Related Topics
- Prizes - Configure every prize type, not just class prizes
- Rating Range Restrictions - Which class setups work and what SwissSys refuses
- Prizes - What each prize message means