Display Tab - Environment Options
You can control a variety of settings using this tab, including some of the tournament organization preferences, the amount of information the SwissSys interface displays, and some visual preferences. You can find it under “Options” and then “Environment…” on the dropdown menu.
Section panels
This controls whether section panels are displayed at the top of the main window. By default, this option is checked on, as it allows tournament directors to quickly navigate between sections. If you are running a single section tournament, you can uncheck this for a cleaner interface.
Show board ranges
Displays board number ranges in the section panels at the top of the main window for easy reference.
Default: Checked (on)
Impact: Helps you quickly identify which boards are assigned to each section in multi-section tournaments.
Show round status
Displays the current round number, whether the round is complete, and if not, how many matches are left in that round.
Default: Unchecked (off)
Impact: Useful for keeping track of multi-section tournaments when sections are progressing at different paces.
Forced name format
You can automatically control the formatting of all player names entered into the system.
Available options:
- Initial uppercase - Proper case (e.g., “Smith, John”)
- All uppercase - Full caps (e.g., “SMITH, JOHN”)
- Last name uppercase - Mixed case (e.g., “SMITH, John”)
When to use: Set this before registering any players for the tournament to ensure consistent name formatting. It will apply automatically to all newly registered players. The names of players that have already been registered will remain unchanged, so to update their names, use Players → Set uniform name format.
In the case of initial uppercase, SwissSys does its best with hard names like Thad McSuits III, but you may have to tweak a name here and there if your players are particular.
Key codes
You can customize the symbols SwissSys uses to signify results and colors in game tables when helpful, such as when a tournament is being conducted in other languages.
Customizable codes:
| Code Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loss | L | Game result - loss |
| Draw | D | Game result - draw |
| Win | W | Game result - win |
| Black | B | Player color - black |
| White | W | Player color - white |
Win and White share the default code “W” but apply in different columns — “W” in the result column means a win, while “W” in the color column means white.
Screen styles
You can change the visual theme of SwissSys to personalize the look and feel of the interface or improve readability. All Windows VCL themes installed on your system (e.g., “Amethyst Kamri,” “Windows,” “Carbon,” etc.) are available.
These changes are applied immediately when you click OK, so if you have a tournament loaded, save it first. If not, SwissSys should prompt you to save first before it applies the theme change.
Default: “Amethyst Kamri”
Maximized screen height adjustment
Fine-tunes how tall the main window can be when maximized. This is useful if part of the SwissSys window is not visible when the program is running full-screen. The range of adjustment is between -50 to +50 pixels (in steps of 2)
Default: 0 (no adjustment)
Impact:
- Adjusts the maximum window height to compensate for different taskbar sizes and positions
- Positive values allow the window to extend higher on screen
- Negative values reduce the maximum height
- Takes effect immediately when you maximize the window
When to change:
- If your taskbar is at the bottom and the SwissSys status bar is hidden when maximized, increase this value (positive numbers)
- If the window extends too far and covers your taskbar, decrease this value (negative numbers)
Tip: Start with small adjustments (+/- 2 to 4 pixels) and test by maximizing the window.
Fees field labels
Customize the labels for the three fees fields to match your tournament’s fee structure.
Default labels: “Fees&1”, “Fees&2”, “Fees&3”
When to change: Set these before registration begins to make fee collection clearer for staff and participants.
Common customizations:
- “USCF$” - USCF membership dues
- “State$” - State chess federation fees
- “Event$” - Tournament entry fee
The ”&” character underlines the following character, creating a keyboard shortcut (e.g., “Fees&1” becomes Alt+1).
Age/Grade label
Chooses whether the column headers are labeled Age or Grade.
Note: this only changes the label of the column header. To have SwissSys add the columns (including Class) to what it displays, check those boxes in the “Format Options” window under the Wall Chart tab or the Standings tab to add columns to that view.
You can open the “Format Options” window either by clicking on “Options” then in the dropdown menu clicking on “Formatting…”, or by right-clicking on either the Wall Chart or Standings view that is in the main window: this will bring up a menu where you can select “Format Options…”.
Default: “Age”
Related Topics
- Registration & Editing - Player registration rules, editing behavior, and post-event ratings
- Files & Databases - File operations, autosave, and database paths
- Format Options - Wall chart and standings display configuration