Online Player Search
Search for players online during registration without downloading a database. SwissSys looks up USCF, CFC, and FIDE players through the ChessRoster rating service, so all you need is internet access.
Online search does not have its own federation picker on the Search tab. Which federation it queries (USCF, CFC, or FIDE) is set ahead of time by your tournament’s rating configuration. See Setting the Search Federation below before you search.
When to Use Online Search
Use online search when:
- You have stable internet at the tournament
- You need the absolute latest ratings
- Small tournament (under 50 players)
- Don’t want to download databases
Use downloaded databases instead when:
- Large tournament (100+ players)
- Internet is unreliable
- Need to work offline
- Want faster lookups
See Database Overview for database download options.
Setting the Search Federation
There is no federation dropdown on the registration Search tab. The Search tab only lets you pick which database to search (Primary or Secondary) and whether to search online or locally. The federation that online search queries is decided by your tournament’s rating profile, which you set beforehand.
For tournaments using a binary (.rbin/.rbin.gz) database or online-only lookups, the federation is set through the Rating setup panel. Open it via the Registration toolbar → Rating options button (or Options > Environment options… > Ratings tab). Select a chip:
- USCF — online search queries the USCF service
- USCF + FIDE — USCF primary; “Also fetch FIDE data when refreshing USCF online” is on
- CFC — online search queries the CFC service
- CFC + FIDE — CFC primary with FIDE alongside
- FIDE — online search queries the FIDE service
For tournaments using a legacy non-binary database (.dbf/.xls/.mdb/.txt), open Options > Environment options… > Ratings tab and use the Federation radio group (USCF, FIDE, or N/A) shown there.
See Ratings Tab - Environment Options for complete configuration details.
Checking your configuration
The registration search panel shows two read-only status labels so you can confirm what a search will do before you run it:
| Label | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
Local: | Local: USCF Regular (2026-01) | The local database that is loaded and its rating type and date |
Online: | Online: USCF Regular (Latest) | The federation and settings that an online search will use |
A small arrow marker appears at the start of whichever label was used by the most recent search (local or online), so you can tell at a glance which source the results came from. Both labels refresh automatically each time you close the Rating options dialog.
When the federation is set to N/A, the Online: label reads Online: N/A and online search is disabled. N/A is
for tournaments that do not use USCF, CFC, or FIDE ratings.
When the tournament’s primary federation is CFC, the Online: label still reads Online: USCF, but online search routes to the CFC service. The label does not have a separate CFC form. Rely on your Database Wizard / profile setup (and the loaded CFC database) to confirm you are in CFC mode.
See Register - Players Menu for the full registration dialog reference.
Searching USCF Players
Make sure your federation is set to USCF first (see Setting the Search Federation).
Open Registration
Go to Players > Register players.
Go to the Search tab
Click the Search tab. The tab has Name, ID#, and State fields and the Search Online (F4) button.
Enter Search Criteria
By Name: Type the name in the Name field (e.g., “Smith, John”) By ID: Type the USCF ID in the ID# field (e.g., “12345678”)
You must enter at least 4 characters for a search to run.
Search and Load
Click Search Online (F4) or press Enter from the Name or ID field. Select the correct player from the results and click Load.
What Gets Loaded
When you load a USCF player:
- Primary Rating: Regular, Quick, or Blitz (based on your tournament type)
- USCF ID and FIDE ID (if player has one)
- Membership expiration date
- State and Title (if any)
Searching CFC Players
SwissSys can look up Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) players online, through the same ChessRoster rating service used for USCF.
CFC online search turns on automatically when your tournament’s primary federation is CFC. You set CFC mode by:
- Choosing CFC in the Database Wizard, or
- Selecting the CFC chip in the Rating setup panel (Registration toolbar → Rating options).
Once CFC mode is active, the Search tab and the Search Online (F4) button work exactly as they do for USCF.
Confirm CFC mode
Set up your tournament for CFC using the Database Wizard or your player profile. (The Online: status label still reads Online: USCF; the lookup is routed to the CFC service behind the scenes.)
Open Registration and the Search tab
Go to Players > Register players and click the Search tab.
Enter Search Criteria
By Name: Type the name in the Name field (CFC name search is supported). By CFC ID: Type the CFC ID in the ID# field. At least 4 characters are required.
Search and Load
Click Search Online (F4) or press Enter, select the player, and click Load.
What Gets Loaded
When you load a CFC player:
- Regular and Rapid ratings (CFC does not publish a separate blitz rating online)
- CFC ID
- Province (shown in the State field)
- Membership expiration date
CFC online search always uses the latest published CFC supplement. The Supplement Date setting (Latest vs. Tournament date) on the Rating Search dialog applies only to USCF; it has no effect on CFC lookups.
Searching FIDE Players
Set your federation to FIDE first (see Setting the Search Federation). FIDE only appears as a Federation choice when your configured database supports FIDE ratings.
FIDE searches must use the FIDE ID number, not a name. If you search FIDE by name, SwissSys reports “FIDE searches must use I.D. numbers, not names.” Look the player’s FIDE ID up at fide.com first if you do not have it.
Open Registration
Go to Players > Register players.
Go to the Search tab
Click the Search tab.
Enter the FIDE ID
Type the 7- to 8-digit FIDE ID in the ID# field (e.g., “1503014”). At least 4 characters are required.
Search and Load
Click Search Online (F4) or press Enter. Select the correct player and click Load.
What Gets Loaded
When you load a FIDE player:
- Primary Rating: Standard, Rapid, or Blitz (based on tournament type)
- FIDE ID and Federation (country code like USA, GER, RUS)
- Title (GM, IM, WGM, etc.)
- Birth year
USCF Rating Source Options
USCF offers two rating sources configured via the Rating Search dialog:
| Rating Source | Update Frequency | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Published Rating | Monthly (default) | Most tournaments |
| Live Rating | Real-time | Player played very recently |
Published ratings are the officially released monthly ratings from USCF. Live ratings include results from recently-played but not-yet-published tournaments.
Live ratings are not recommended for most over-the-board tournaments. Ratings can change between registration and tournament start, potentially affecting section eligibility. Verify your tournament rules allow live ratings before using this option.
Configuring Rating Source
Open Rating Options
Click Rating options in the Registration toolbar (or go to Options > Environment options… > Ratings tab).
Confirm USCF Profile
Select the USCF or USCF + FIDE chip to ensure a USCF profile is active.
Set Rating Type and Online Source
Set the Rating type dropdown (Regular/Quick/Blitz), then open [+] More options and under Online Search Settings, choose your preferred Rating Source:
- Published — monthly published ratings (recommended)
- Live — tournament history with post-rerate
Set Supplement Date and other preferences as needed for your tournament.
Save Configuration
Click OK to save your rating preferences.
The database status labels in the registration search panel will immediately reflect your new configuration.
Online vs. OTB Tournaments
For online chess tournaments, USCF provides separate online ratings (Online Regular, Online Quick, Online Blitz) distinct from over-the-board (OTB) ratings.
Configuring for Online Tournaments:
Open Rating Options
Click Rating options in the Registration toolbar (or Options > Environment options… > Ratings tab).
Set Rating Type
Set the Rating type dropdown to match your tournament (Regular / Quick / Blitz).
Enable Online Event
Open [+] More options, scroll to Rating Import Settings, and check “Online event”.
Save Configuration
Click OK to save your preferences.
Rating Loading Behavior:
- Online event enabled: Loads Online Regular/Quick/Blitz ratings
- Online event disabled: Loads OTB Regular/Quick/Blitz ratings
The “Online event” setting is tournament-specific and persists with your tournament file.
Troubleshooting
”Connection error. Please check your internet connection.”
Online search runs through the ChessRoster rating service (which serves USCF, CFC, and FIDE data), not directly against uscf.org or fide.com.
Solutions:
- Check your internet connection
- Check firewall settings (allow SwissSys internet access)
- Wait and retry (the service may be temporarily busy; SwissSys also retries automatically when rate-limited)
If you see “Authentication failed. Please check your registration.”, verify your SwissSys registration is current.
”Player not found”
Common causes:
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Name misspelled | Verify spelling with player |
| Wrong federation | Confirm USCF / CFC / FIDE is set right |
| Player not a member | They need to join USCF, CFC, or FIDE |
| Incorrect ID | Double-check ID number |
Too many results
When searching common names:
- Add first name: “Smith, John” not just “Smith”
- Include middle initial if needed
- Use ID number instead
- Ask player for their rating/state to narrow results
Search is very slow
If online search is too slow:
- Check internet speed (may be too slow)
- Download a database instead (much faster for large tournaments)
- Use wired connection instead of WiFi
- Try during off-peak hours
Best Practices
Before tournament:
- Test online search to verify internet works
- Download database as backup
- Collect player IDs in advance
During tournament:
- Use ID search when possible (faster)
- Have database ready if internet fails
- Verify membership expiration dates
For large tournaments:
- Download database instead of using online search
- Use online search only for late arrivals
See Also
- Database Overview - Download databases for offline use
- Database Wizard - Set USCF, CFC, or FIDE as your tournament federation
- Downloading USCF Database - Alternative to online search
- Downloading CFC Database - Alternative to online search
- Downloading FIDE Database - Alternative to online search
- Ratings Tab - Environment Options - Rating Search dialog and federation settings
- Register - Players Menu - Registration dialog reference
- Importing Players Overview - All import methods