ChessRoster Integration Dialog
Use this dialog to authenticate with ChessRoster, link a SwissSys tournament file to an online ChessRoster event, and upload tournament data for live online viewing.
Menu Path: Internet → Sync with ChessRoster
Toolbar: Click the ChessRoster icon on the toolbar (v11.76+).
Status bar: Click the ChessRoster status text at the bottom-right of the main window (v11.76+).
Prerequisites
- Active internet connection.
- A ChessRoster account with organizer privileges. (Free registration at chessroster.com .)
- A default web browser installed on your computer (required for the login flow).
Step 1: Authenticate
SwissSys uses OAuth2 for ChessRoster login. Credentials are stored encrypted via Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI) — no passwords are stored in plain text.
Open the dialog
Go to Internet → Sync with ChessRoster. The dialog opens showing the login panel.
Click “Login to ChessRoster”
Your default browser opens to the ChessRoster login page.
Two login options are available:
- Sign in with Google — Use your Google account.
- Continue with Email — Receive a magic link by email. The link must be opened on the same computer running SwissSys.
Complete login in the browser
After logging in, ChessRoster redirects back to SwissSys automatically.
SwissSys confirms authentication and advances to organizer selection.
If automatic redirect fails
Sometimes the redirect doesn’t arrive (for example, if it takes more than ~10 seconds). In that case:
- The ChessRoster website displays an 8-character token.
- Click Enter Token Manually in SwissSys.
- Copy the token from the website, paste it into the token field, and confirm.
Log off
Click Log Off to disconnect your ChessRoster account and remove stored credentials from SwissSys. Recommended on shared computers.
Step 2: Select an Organizer
After authenticating, choose which organizer profile to publish under.
- Organization — Recommended for clubs, schools, and recurring events. Uses an organization associated with your ChessRoster account.
- Personal Organizer — Your individual account. This option is being phased out in favor of organizations for long-term use.
If you need to create a new organizer entity, do so in your ChessRoster account settings on the website, then click Refresh in SwissSys to load the updated list.
Step 3: Link or Create an Online Tournament
Once an organizer is selected, the tournament dropdown loads that organizer’s existing ChessRoster events.
Create a new ChessRoster event
Select “Create New Tournament”
Choose *** Create New Tournament *** from the tournament dropdown.
Click “Create New”
A form appears to enter basic event details.
Fill in required fields
- Tournament Name
- Start Date and End Date
- Location — A complete street address enables map and distance searches on ChessRoster.
Confirm
SwissSys creates the event on ChessRoster and links your local file to it.
If you don’t have the exact address yet, you can edit it later on the ChessRoster website. A precise address (street number, city, state/province, ZIP/postal code) ensures the event appears in location-based searches.
Link to an existing ChessRoster event
If the event already exists on ChessRoster (for example, you created it on the website first):
- Select the event from the tournament dropdown.
- Click Link and Sync to connect your SwissSys file to that online event and upload your current data.
Download an existing tournament from ChessRoster
If you open the ChessRoster dialog without a tournament loaded in SwissSys, the dialog shows a Download option instead of Link/Sync. This lets you pull a tournament file that was previously uploaded to ChessRoster and open it locally in SwissSys.
Select the tournament from the dropdown and click Download. SwissSys saves the file to a temporary location and prompts you to open it.
Step 4: Sync Tournament Data
After linking, the dialog shows the linked tournament status and sync controls.
What gets uploaded
Each sync pushes the current state of the tournament to ChessRoster, including:
- Round pairings and results
- Standings
- Tournament and section details
Sync controls
Sync Now — Upload the current tournament data immediately. Use this after pairing a round or entering results to update the live online view.
Tournament URL — Displays the ChessRoster web address for the linked event. Click Copy to copy it to the clipboard and share it with players.
Unlink — Disconnects the SwissSys file from the ChessRoster event. The event remains on the ChessRoster website; you can re-link or link a different file later if needed.
Auto-Sync
Auto-sync controls are available directly in the linked status panel:
- Check Auto-Sync to enable automatic background uploads.
- Set the interval (in minutes) between automatic uploads.
When auto-sync is on, SwissSys uploads in the background at the configured interval without requiring manual action.
Reviewing incoming registration changes
Sync is not strictly one-way. When players register, withdraw, or change their registration on the ChessRoster website, those changes flow back to SwissSys as registration events. After a sync that finds pending events, SwissSys opens the ChessRoster Events dialog so you can review each change before it touches your tournament file — nothing is applied automatically.
The dialog lists each pending event with its time, type, player, and section, and shows a status line such as Status: 3 unprocessed event(s), 5 total. Selecting a row shows the full details and a preview of exactly what would change. The event types you may see are:
| Type in list | What it means |
|---|---|
| New Registration | A player registered for the event on ChessRoster. |
| Withdrawal | A registered player withdrew. |
| Registration Updated | A player edited their registration details (name, rating, etc.). |
| Section Changed | A player moved to a different section. |
| Bye Requested | A player requested a half-point (or future-round) bye. |
| Bye Cleared | A previously requested bye was removed. |
For each event you choose one of three actions:
- Apply — Make the change in your tournament. SwissSys previews the fields it will change and confirms when done. If only some fields can be applied (for example, a rating is out of range while the name is fine), it shows what was and was not applied and lets you accept the partial update or cancel.
- Reject — Permanently dismiss the event. It will not reappear.
- Defer — Postpone the decision. The event reappears on the next sync.
Additional controls:
- Apply Checked / Reject Checked — Process every ticked row at once. Each row has a checkbox (checked by default); tick or untick rows, then use these buttons for a bulk decision. A summary reports how many were applied (fully or partially), failed, and skipped.
- View JSON — Show the raw event payload, useful when diagnosing an unexpected change.
- Close — Close the dialog. If any events are still unapplied (deferred or untouched), SwissSys reminds you how many remain so you can come back to them.
Applying a registration update that changes a player’s rating offers to resort and renumber players by the new ratings. If FIDE pairing rules prevent renumbering at the current round, SwissSys updates the rating for reporting only and tells you pair numbers were left unchanged.
Closing the tournament without saving is the way to discard registration changes you have already applied — applied changes cannot be individually undone from this dialog.
Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom-right of the main SwissSys window shows ChessRoster sync state at a glance. The text uses a short CR: prefix to save space — click the panel to open the full dialog.
| Status text | Meaning |
|---|---|
CR: Not logged in | You are not authenticated with ChessRoster. |
CR: Not linked | Logged in, but no tournament is linked. |
CR: Offline | Tournament linked, but ChessRoster is currently unreachable. |
CR: Manual (new) | Manual sync mode; the tournament has never been synced yet. |
CR: Manual (18m) | Manual sync mode; last sync was 18 minutes ago. |
CR: Auto (new) | Auto-sync is on, but the tournament has never been synced yet. |
CR: Synced 18m | Auto-sync is on and the last sync (18 minutes ago) is within the sync interval. |
CR: Overdue (5m) | Auto-sync is on but the last sync (5 minutes ago) is past the configured interval. |
A ! prefix (for example ! CR: Offline or ! CR: Overdue (5m)) flags a sync problem that needs attention — either ChessRoster is unreachable or an auto-sync is overdue.
Time format: The relative time is terse, with no “ago” suffix. Under 60 minutes shows as 18m; 1–23 hours shows as 5h; 24 hours or more shows as >1d.
Troubleshooting
Browser does not open for login
- Confirm a default browser is set in Windows.
- Check that your firewall or security software isn’t blocking SwissSys from opening a browser.
- Try running SwissSys as Administrator.
- As a last resort, use Enter Token Manually (see above).
Automatic redirect fails
- Wait about 10 seconds on the ChessRoster login page.
- If SwissSys doesn’t detect the redirect, copy the 8-character token from the website.
- Click Enter Token Manually in SwissSys, paste the token, and confirm.
Sync fails / connection error
- Confirm your internet connection is active.
- Verify HTTPS (port 443) is not blocked on your network.
- Open the ChessRoster website in your browser to confirm it’s reachable.
- Click Sync Now to retry immediately.
Location doesn’t appear on the map
- Edit the tournament on the ChessRoster website and enter a complete address (street number, city, state, ZIP/postal code).
Authentication expires
- Tokens expire periodically for security. SwissSys will prompt you to log in again.
- Click Login to ChessRoster and re-authenticate. Your tournament link is preserved; you don’t need to re-link.
Related Topics
- ChessRoster Platform Integration — Overview and getting started guide.
- Auto-Sync Environment Option — Configure automatic background upload settings.
- Hosted Website — Legacy manual upload method for tournament reports.
ChessRoster Integration Dialog was introduced in SwissSys v11.76.