ChessRoster Integration Dialog
Use this dialog to connect SwissSys to your ChessRoster account, link a tournament to an online event, and control synchronization. This guide covers authentication, tournament setup, sync controls, and status monitoring.
Connecting SwissSys and ChessRoster
There are three ways to connect SwissSys to the ChessRoster web platform for automated result uploads and online tournament viewing/management:
Menu Path: Internet → Sync with ChessRoster
Toolbar Access: click the ChessRoster icon on the toolbar (appears in v11.76+)
Login Status: On the bottom right-hand side of the main window, your SwissSys connection status to ChessRoster is displayed. Click the text to bring up the login window (appears in v11.76+).
What you need
- Active internet connection.
- ChessRoster account (free to register at chessroster.com , with organizer privileges).
- A modern web browser installed (for the OAuth login process).
Authentication
Security: SwissSys uses OAuth2 for ChessRoster login, with credentials (tokens) stored encrypted via Windows Credential Manager.
When you initiate the ChessRoster sync, SwissSys will open this window where you can click on “Login to ChessRoster.” That will open up the ChessRoster website in your default browser, and you will see the login screen:
Login Methods
You have two options on the login screen:
- Sign in with Google – Use your Google account via OAuth.
- Continue with Email – Receive a magic link via email (note: to complete the login, the link must be opened on the same computer that is running SwissSys).
Automatic Linking
If you have been automatically linked, you will see a confirmation in SwissSys that authentication has succeeded; if not, there is one more short step to link manually.
Manual Token Entry
Sometimes automatic linking does not occur, like when the redirect doesn’t happen fast enough (taking more than ten seconds or so). In those cases:
- The ChessRoster website will display an 8-character token.
- Click Enter Token Manually in SwissSys.
- Copy the token from the ChessRoster website and paste it into the space in the “Enter ChessRoster Token” window in SwissSys and confirm.
Log Off
Use Log Off to disconnect your ChessRoster account and remove the stored credentials from SwissSys (recommended on shared computers).
Organizer Selection
After logging in, choose which organizer’s tournament to publish under:
- Affiliated Organizer – An organization associated with your ChessRoster account (recommended for clubs, schools, etc.).
- Personal Organizer – Your individual account’s organizer profile (this legacy option is being phased out in favor of organizations).
Note: It’s recommended to use an Organization profile for long-term support, rather than personal organizer.
Actions in this step:
- If you need a new organizer entity, create it on the ChessRoster website (in your account settings). Then click Refresh in SwissSys to load the latest list of organizers.
- Select the desired organizer from the dropdown to proceed.
Tournament Setup
Next, decide whether to create a new online tournament entry or link to an existing one:
Create New Tournament
To publish a brand-new tournament:
- Select
*** Create New Tournament ***from the tournament dropdown. - Click Create New. A form appears to enter tournament details.
Required Fields for New Tournament:
- Tournament Name
- Start Date and End Date (tournament dates)
- Location – A complete street address (for map and distance searches on ChessRoster).
Note: If you don’t have the exact address or it’s incomplete, you can edit it later on the ChessRoster website. A precise address (street, city, state/province, ZIP) ensures the tournament shows up properly in location-based searches.
After entering details, SwissSys will create the tournament entry on ChessRoster and link your SwissSys file to it.
Link Existing Tournament
If the tournament already exists on ChessRoster (e.g., you created it on the website first):
- Select the existing tournament from the dropdown list.
- Click Link (or OK) to connect your current SwissSys file to that online tournament.
Once linked, SwissSys knows the ChessRoster tournament ID for synchronization.
Synchronization
After linking, the main ChessRoster sync dialog shows your tournament status and sync controls.
Upload Data
What gets uploaded: SwissSys can upload round pairings, results, standings, and basic tournament info to ChessRoster.
- Manual Sync: Click Sync Now to push the latest data immediately.
- Auto-Sync: Enable automatic periodic uploads via Environment Options (see Auto-Sync Environment Option). When enabled, SwissSys will upload in the background at set intervals after changes.
Note: Auto-sync uploads tournament data from SwissSys to ChessRoster. Registration events from ChessRoster (new registrations, withdrawals, section changes) sync back into SwissSys automatically.
Tournament Link Status
An expandable status panel shows the connection and sync state:
- Connection Status – e.g., “Authenticated” or prompts to log in if not.
- Linked Tournament – The name (and ChessRoster ID) of the online tournament linked.
- Last Sync – Timestamp of the last successful upload.
- Auto-Sync – Indicates if auto-sync is enabled (and its interval), with a link to settings.
Actions
Sync Now:
- Upload the current tournament data immediately.
- Use this after pairing a round or entering results to instantly update the online view, or at the end of the tournament for final standings.
Tournament Link (URL):
- Displays the full ChessRoster website URL of the linked tournament.
- Click Copy to copy this URL to your clipboard (you can share it with players so they can view results online).
Unlink Tournament:
- Disconnects the SwissSys file from the ChessRoster tournament. (The tournament remains on the ChessRoster website; you could later re-link or link a different file if needed.)
- Use this if you no longer want to sync or if you linked to the wrong online event by mistake.
Status Monitoring
SwissSys’s status bar (bottom of the main window) provides at-a-glance info on ChessRoster sync status:
Examples of status messages:
ChessRoster: Not authenticated– You haven’t logged in via SwissSys yet.ChessRoster: No tournament linked– Logged in, but the current SwissSys tournament isn’t linked to any online event.ChessRoster: Manual (18m ago)– Last sync was 18 minutes ago, and auto-sync is off (manual mode).ChessRoster: Auto (18m ago)– Auto-sync is on; last upload was 18 minutes ago.! ChessRoster: Auto (OVERDUE 5m)– Auto-sync was enabled but the last scheduled upload was missed by 5 minutes (perhaps due to internet issues or the program being closed; the “!” indicates a warning).! ChessRoster: Connection failed– A sync attempt couldn’t connect (likely network issue; “!” indicates attention needed).
In status messages, a prefix ! denotes an issue that may require your attention.
Time Format:
- Times under 60 minutes show as “Xm ago” (e.g., 18m ago).
- 60 minutes up to 24 hours show as “Xh ago”.
- Over 24 hours show as “>1 day ago”.
Troubleshooting
Browser Does Not Open (for login):
- Check that you have a default browser set in Windows.
- Verify your firewall or security software isn’t blocking SwissSys from launching a browser.
- If the above fail, try running SwissSys as Administrator and attempt again.
- As a last resort, use the Enter Token Manually option.
Automatic Linking Fails:
- Wait ~10 seconds on the login screen for SwissSys to detect the token redirect.
- If nothing happens, copy the token from the ChessRoster webpage.
- Click Enter Token Manually in SwissSys, paste the token, and press OK.
Connection Issues (during sync):
- Ensure your internet connection is active.
- Verify that HTTPS traffic (port 443) is not blocked on your network.
- Make sure the ChessRoster website is reachable (open it in your browser to test).
- If a sync fails, you can always press Sync Now to retry immediately.
Location Not Geocoding (address issue):
- If ChessRoster shows an incomplete location or map for your event, edit the tournament details on the ChessRoster website.
- Enter the full street address (including number, city, state, ZIP/postal code).
- Save changes on the website — the event listing will update with the corrected location.
Authentication Expires:
- ChessRoster logins will expire after a time (for security). When this happens, SwissSys will prompt you to log in again.
- If prompted, click Login to ChessRoster in SwissSys and re-authenticate. Your tournament link will persist (you don’t need to re-link the tournament, just re-authenticate your account).
Related Topics
- ChessRoster Platform Integration – Overview of what the integration offers and how to get started.
- Auto-Sync Environment Option – How to enable automatic background uploads.
- Hosted Website – Manual upload method for tournament reports (prior to v11.76).
ChessRoster Integration Dialog was introduced in SwissSys v11.76.