Adjusting Pairings - Pair Chart Dialog

There are two kinds of adjustments to pairings that you can do from the Pair Chart Dialog. The first involves a simple switch of any two players in the chart.

The second uses a drag and drop feature called the “replacement players list” to insert a player anywhere on the chart you like or to delete players from the chart that don’t belong there.

As a rule:

use Switch when both players are already paired and you only want to trade places
use the Replacement players list when an unpaired player, a bye row, or a deleted row is involved

If the round has not started and several pairings should change, it is usually safer to back up and pair the round again.

To switch two players in the Pair Chart dialog

Click the Switch button toolbar button (marked with an “S”) to get into switch mode. The next player you click on is the first switch player, and the player name appears highlighted in red in the chart.
To complete the switch, click on the player you want to switch with. To get out of switch mode, or to cancel a switch, either click the original player or click the Switch button again. As with results, you may also use the enter key to switch players while you are in switch mode.

To insert a previously unpaired player

Click on the “Replacement players list” button (the one on the far right) to show a list of all unpaired players.
Locate the player you want to add to the chart.
Click this name and drag it to the desired location on the pair chart.

You can add this player to the chart using either “replacement mode” or “insert mode.” The switch for these is located in the box marked “insert mode” on the replacement players list.

Typically you will select replace mode when you want a single player (for instance a late registering player) to take the place of a bye assignment or to take the place of another player (for instance, a no-show).

You normally use one of the insert modes (insert before or insert after the selected matchup) when you want to set a whole new match-up of previously unpaired players.

Insert mode is a left-side operation. If you try to insert from the black side of the chart, SwissSys may redirect you to a safer alternative such as replace mode, left-side insert, or the next board down.

To delete a single player or a whole match-up from the list

Select the player you want to delete in the pair chart and then click on the delete player (or delete pairing) button on the replacement player list.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop the corresponding list item (<Delete player> or <Delete whole matchup>) where you want this action to take place.

Note that deleting players from the pair chart automatically moves them to the replacement players list, where you can continue to move them around if you like.

Deleting or inserting rows can leave board numbering uneven. If needed, use Tools | Renumber boards after you finish rearranging the chart.

To pair two bye players against each other

You must work in two quick steps:

First use the replacement players list to delete one of the players from the chart (it’s best to delete the one who will be playing black)
Then drag and drop this same player to the black side of the chart opposite the other bye player

Using these two features, together with the ability to renumber boards, you should quickly be able to force just about any pairings you like.

Of course, the fewer adjustments you have to make, the better, so always aim to set up your pairings as accurately as possible using the Pairings setup dialog first.

Important limits

These tools are mainly for the current round. For past-round corrections, see To adjust pairings for past rounds below.
In fixed-roster team events, broad team-level changes are safer from the team-based pair chart than from the individual player view.
In double-blitz style events, manual drag-and-drop changes may need to be repeated for the paired even-numbered game.

To adjust pairings for past rounds

In which players mistakenly played the wrong opponents, you need to use the Results Editor or edit the main view, or back up to before the problem round and redo the pairings from there.