Open - File Menu
Opens a previously-saved tournament file, or imports a roster from a spreadsheet or comma-separated file. Use the “Files of type” dropdown to filter the list by format.
Keyboard shortcut: F3
SwissSys decides what to do with the file by its extension. Tournament files (.sjson, .bk) are loaded directly. Spreadsheet and CSV files are treated as roster imports, so the players in them are loaded into a section as registration data.
Supported Formats
The file picker opens on the combined “All SwissSys files” filter, which lists every type the Open command can handle (including spreadsheets and CSVs) so roster files are visible by default. The dropdown also has narrower filters for tournament files only, other SwissSys files, spreadsheet/roster files, and online report files.
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SwissSys tournament | .sjson, .bk | Current native format; .bk is a backup copy |
| Legacy SwissSys | .tmt, .S* | Pre-version 11 files |
| Club list | .txt | Loaded as a club roster |
| Simple TRF | .trf | Import from FIDE-style tournament report format |
| Excel spreadsheet | .xls, .xlsx | Import as a roster (see below) |
| CSV | .csv | Online report file, or a roster import (see below) |
If you open a file whose extension is not recognized, SwissSys still checks whether the contents look like a SwissSys JSON tournament and, if so, loads it as one. Otherwise it reports an unrecognized file type.
Importing a Roster from a Spreadsheet or CSV
When you open an .xls, .xlsx, or roster .csv file, SwissSys imports the players in it as a new section’s roster rather than opening it as a tournament.
For a spreadsheet:
- If the workbook has more than one worksheet, SwissSys asks which sheet to import from. A single-sheet workbook skips that prompt.
- SwissSys reads the header row and pre-fills the field-mapping dialog, matching columns such as name, rating, and ID automatically. Confirm or adjust the mapping before the players are imported.
- The new section is named after the spreadsheet file.
For a .csv file, SwissSys first checks whether the file is an online tournament report (the layout produced by services such as chess.com). If it is, the file is read as that report. Otherwise the CSV is treated as a generic roster and goes through the same field-mapping import as a spreadsheet.
Multi-section spreadsheets
If the spreadsheet has a SECTION column with two or more distinct values, SwissSys splits the import into one SwissSys section per value automatically — a multi-section roster is unambiguously a per-section import, so there is no extra prompt. To load everything into a single combined section instead, clear the Section field in the mapping dialog before continuing.
Alternative Method
Drag and drop tournament file icons from Windows Explorer onto the main SwissSys window to open them directly.