SwissSys Versions & Release Notes

For full release notes and the latest download, visit the SwissSys Downloads page .

This page explains how SwissSys version numbers work, what release channels are available, and documents the major releases with links to relevant feature documentation.

Version Numbering Scheme

SwissSys uses a structured version number to communicate the release type at a glance.

• Stable releases use three version components (x.y.z) and are fully tested and recommended for production use.
• Preview releases add a fourth component (x.y.z.n) to deliver new features early to testers. These may have rough edges. See Release Channels for download options.

Numbering History

The current scheme was introduced with the 11.79 series. Prior to that, SwissSys used a different convention:

Key milestones in the transition:

• 11.77.6 — last preview released under the old scheme
• 11.79.0.1 — first preview released under the new scheme
• 11.79.1 — first stable release using the new three-component format

This explains why legacy versions in the history below appear as x.y (e.g., 11.6, 11.76), while current stable releases appear as x.y.z (e.g., 11.79.1).

Release Channels

SwissSys offers two release channels:

Preview channel users always receive the most current version — including stable releases when they supersede an active preview.

Recent Releases

For detailed release notes, visit https://www.chessroster.com/swisssys/downloads . The entries below highlight major feature additions and link to relevant documentation.

Version 11.80.x Series

Version 11.80.3 (Upcoming)

Enhancements:

• Database updates to Excel-based (.xls/.xlsx) rating databases are now written natively, so installing Microsoft’s Access Database Engine is no longer needed for Excel databases at all
• Registration search against Excel-based databases is noticeably faster
• Print Preview gains duplex, color, and paper-tray controls where the selected printer supports them, and your choices are remembered the next time you print

Bug Fixes:

• The secondary rating slot now shows accurate FIDE rating/ID information, both locally and when confirming ratings online — see Switch Ratings/IDs
• USCF ratings report export now succeeds when a player’s FIDE ID is stored in the member-ID field, and forfeited games list the correct opponent
• Improved reliability of rating-database downloads so an interrupted download can no longer leave you without a usable database file — see Database Wizard
• Confirming USCF ratings before a tournament’s month is published now completes the search normally instead of looping
• Improved section-tab caption rendering so text no longer appears thin in some cases
• Improved the error message shown when an Apollo (.dbf) database file can’t be opened, so it no longer suggests reinstalling SwissSys when only one file is affected
• Registration name search no longer misses a well-known player when many similarly named, more recently active players exist
• Fixed an unwanted “Clear and proceed?” prompt when double-clicking a partial name match during registration
• Improved board-conflict detection so withdrawn players no longer force unwanted board renumbering in a neighboring section; added an option to allow sections to intentionally share board numbers
• Silent printing now respects the one-sided setting instead of occasionally printing duplex

Version 11.80.2 (June 25, 2026)

Enhancement:

• Print and Print Preview toolbar buttons swapped for a more intuitive layout

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed PDF page size and page-count inconsistencies across several reports, including alpha pairings, team standings, pre-registration, upsets, round-robin grids, and master team pairings
• Fixed a crash that could occur when refreshing certain pairing or prize-winners display windows
• Switch Ratings/IDs now moves a player’s full rating/ID information together as a unit

Version 11.80.1 (June 19, 2026)

Bug Fix:

• Fixed a rare crash when closing the pairings window

Version 11.80.0 (June 17, 2026)

New Features:

• Native support for joint USCF and FIDE (and CFC) rating databases, with simultaneous online rating refresh for both organizations and a redesigned ratings workflow
• Sync with ChessRoster: report and apply game results from the web, with an in-app review screen before results are applied
• Silent PDF printing and PDF export without a printer installed
• Partial-prize clinch detection
• Section tab reordering and merging: Drag a section tab to a new position to reorder sections, or drag it onto another tab to open the merge dialog with both sections pre-selected
• Side game sections: A new section type that pairs players using drag-to-pair manual assignment, for blitz sideboard events and informal side games running alongside a main tournament
• Roster import can now open .xls, .xlsx, and .csv files directly
• Find Player search now filters as you type, with a fuzzy fallback

Enhancements:

• Rating options UI redesigned with a consolidated layout and one-click quick-setup chips for common USCF and FIDE configurations; FIDE rating profile settings now persist per-tournament
• USCF name export now supports the -e name-space convention (first name preceded by a space), matching USCF’s required format for certain rating submissions
• Grade and Age are now separate, first-class columns
• Post-tiebreak place is now shown in the grid, in printed reports, and on the ChessRoster web report
• Environment Options dialog text no longer clips on some display configurations
• Minor internal issues are now handled quietly instead of surfacing as error dialogs

Bug Fixes:

• Improved reliability of tiebreak and standings data during Sync with ChessRoster
• Fixed rare data issues when merging sections
• Fixed half-point byes occasionally being recorded incorrectly
• Corrected occasional display issues with ladder rankings
• Fixed duplicate sections sometimes being created during multi-section Excel/CSV import
• Printing and PDF export are now more resilient to missing or invalid printer configurations
• Prize reports now correctly show provisional prizes for rounds that are in progress, and handle sections where no round is specified
• Web reports now write section and event names exactly as entered, instead of stripping special characters
• Help file updates

Removed:

• Legacy FTP upload support has been removed. Use Sync with ChessRoster to publish pairings, results, and standings online.

Version 11.79.x Series

The 11.79.x series is the first to use the new three-component stable / four-component preview naming scheme. Releases are listed newest first.

Version 11.79.8 (May 15, 2026)

Bug Fix:

• Fixed a rare crash during startup when SwissSys restored its previous window position

Version 11.79.7 (March 20, 2026)

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed pair chart Undo not fully restoring player stats, bye records, and board assignments — previously, pressing Undo after a pairing change could leave player state inconsistent
• Fixed board numbers being lost after a pair table rebuild (such as when inserting or deleting boards)
• Fixed replacement player insertion targeting the wrong board row in certain cases

Version 11.79.6 (March 17, 2026)

• Reliability improvements for team tournament reporting

Version 11.79.5 (March 15, 2026)

Reliability Improvements:

• Improved stability when syncing tournament results to ChessRoster when draw scores (½) are present
• Resolved an issue that could cause errors when using the print toolbar to preview or print pairings
• Resolved an issue that could cause repeated error dialogs when opening and closing the Tournament Setup screen
• Quads with letter-based group assignments (A, B, C…) now form correctly

Version 11.79.4 (March 12, 2026)

Bug Fixes:

• Resolved several stability issues in team tournaments that could cause crashes or data inconsistencies
• Fixed edge cases in All Rounds Result Entry that could cause round data to be saved incorrectly
• Fixed CFC token redemption error

Enhancements:

• Improved memory efficiency and reliability when working with large databases

Version 11.79.3 (February 23, 2026)

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed rare crash during the rating confirmation process
• Fixed pair table data not refreshing correctly after modifying pairings
• Fixed PDF save dialog displaying incorrectly
• Fixed team pairing settings not saving when using default settings mode

Enhancements:

• Rating search preferences now persist between sessions
• Help file updates and corrections

Version 11.79.2 (February 1, 2026)

Bug Fix:

• Standings view now correctly applies the selected sort order (Alphabetical, Pair #, or Team)

Version 11.79.1 (January 25, 2026)

First stable release under the new version numbering scheme.

New Features:

• Added Assistant TD ID# field to the USCF ratings report dialog
• New Default Fee section parameter — set a per-section registration fee that applies automatically to newly added players

Enhancements:

• Pressing Enter in the registration search field now starts a new search, rather than auto-loading the highlighted result
• Improved handling of font changes in the print preview screen
• Task launcher and hint screens now display correctly after update checks complete
• With Medium bye strictness, unrated players without prior byes now correctly receive a bye before rated players receive a second bye
• Improved diagnostic reporting to help support teams resolve issues faster

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed rare crash when moving the SwissSys window between monitors with different display scaling
• Fixed error with some PDF export orientations
• Start menu shortcuts created outside the application group by previous installations are now removed automatically

Versions 11.71–11.78

These releases use the legacy two-component x.y version format. See the Numbering History section above for context.

Version 11.78 (January 23, 2026)

• Added “Check for Update” menu option for manual update checks
• Improved auto-updater error handling and logging
• High-DPI support improvements for multiple forms
• Fixed PDF export flag not resetting after preview-initiated exports
• Context-sensitive help fixes

Version 11.77 (January 17, 2026)

• Enhanced logging with Windows Event Log support for critical startup errors
• Added special icons for preview releases
• Copyright notices updated for 2026
• Improved stack trace capture during early initialization
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

Version 11.76 (January 13, 2026)

New Features:

• USCF MUIR System Support: Full support for USCF’s new MUIR rating system with enhanced rating handling and database infrastructure
• USCF Database Wizard: Download USCF databases directly through the Database Wizard with supplement selection - no need to visit USCF website
• CFC New Rating System: Support for CFC’s new rating system with updated database handling
• .rbin Database Format: New fast binary database format (.rbin) for USCF and CFC databases - loads 450K USCF players in 2-5 seconds (vs 15-20 seconds with legacy formats), 60% smaller downloads, fully backwards compatible with existing database files
• Logging System: Automatic diagnostic logging enabled by default with one-click error submission to support
• Board Conflict Dialog: Automatic detection and resolution of board number conflicts in multi-section tournaments
• Drag-and-Drop Player Movement: Drag players between sections using hamburger icon in player grid
• Integrated Settings Mode: Self-contained tournament files with embedded settings (no external .ini files needed)
• Auto-Sync with ChessRoster: Automatic synchronization of tournament data with ChessRoster platform
• Team Match Tournaments: Scheveningen tournament format where teams compete against each other in match-based competition with aggregate scoring

Enhancements:

• Batch online updates: Update all tournament sections at once with aggregated results review
• Cancellable online searches: Cancel button now works during online rating lookups
• Improved bye visibility: Past round byes now show with dimmed colors instead of being hidden
• Online search improvements: New interface with USCF live queries
• FIDE pairing enhancements: Auto-close dialog on success, detailed error messages with troubleshooting guidance, pairing number validation warnings
• Enhanced result entry procedures with improved workflow
• Streamlined all-rounds results entry form with drag-and-drop support
• Website hosting improvements for tournament reporting
• Default directories option for tournaments and databases
• Backup to previous round menu option
• Tiebreaks shown on prize reports when relevant
• Enhanced PGN export functionality with better header support
• Section tab enhancements: Display board ranges and round status directly in section panels
• Pairing engine label now displayed in Tournament at a Glance dialog
• Life membership dates handled more consistently
• FIDE TRF export now allows multiple PABs in a single round

Version 11.75 (September 9, 2025)

• Names and special characters now save correctly in .sjson files. Previously, certain characters could become garbled.

Version 11.74 (July 22, 2025)

• Improved saving of .sjson and .ini files for better compatibility with cloud storage services
• Fix rare bug with club databases
• Improve activation and registration logic

Version 11.73 (June 6, 2025)

• Simplified registration screen and moved machine ID to advanced options
• Fix bug causing some users to see “File not found” during application loading
• Updated help files including clarifying license agreement terms

Version 11.72 (May 12, 2025)

• Activation tokens can be used to get a license key without sending your machine ID to support

Version 11.71 (May 10, 2025)

• Updated core system and third party libraries for security & performance enhancements
• Converted to ChessRoster branding
• Removed outdated charts from stats view
• Upgrade version of installer package
• Added new auto-update feature which prompts the user to choose at launch if they want to install any available updates

Legacy Versions

Version 11.63 (April 1, 2025)

• Fixed issue where pairings could fail with a range error when awarding a bye in late rounds of a very small section.
• Fixed Buchholtz Cut-1 and Cut-2 tiebreaks to properly compensate for games unavailable to play.

Version 11.62 (March 2, 2025)

• Fixed sorting of teams for pairings in fixed-roster pairings by game points.
• Revised synching of team and individual results to allow for easier editing of game points.

Version 11.61 (February 1, 2025)

• Fixed issue where switching quads to Crenshaw tables after initializing them as Berger caused some players to get 3 blacks.
• Fixed option to use a custom bye message not being set at startup.
• Fixed inconsistent updates of fixed-roster results that led to sub-optimal pairings.
• Fixed option to randomize equally rated players not working after making a change to a rating.
• Fixed average opponent rating tiebreak with no drop of lows to exclude unrated players from the average.

Version 11.6 (January 8, 2025)

• New: Plus-2 pairings for team tournaments can now be set to plus-2, minus-2, or both.
• New: More flexibility in the pair chart for adjusting round robin pairings.
• Fixed issue where ignoring a notification of editing errors canceled pairings instead of ignoring the issue.

Version 11.59 (December 4, 2024)

• Added a feature to clear player ratings.
• Fixed pairing fixed-roster teams by game points rather than match points.

Version 11.58 (November 4, 2024)

• Fixed FIDE-Only version to force FIDE default mode as required.
• Made name format for club list imports more consistent.
• Added browse button to tournament setup dialog.
• Fixed rating formula choice reset under certain conditions.

Version 11.57 (October 24, 2024)

• Fixed NACH report to list round robin pairings based on the actual Crenshaw table setting used.
• Fixed “Set typical USCF tiebreaks” option to use modified median rather than median.
• Fixed issue with FIDE rating report generating improper WDL characters for games flagged as too fast to rate.

Version 11.56 (October 1, 2024)

• Fixed player titles making alphabetical listings out of order.
• Added encoding of original colors of forfeited games with the file.
• Fixed “Setting typical USCF tiebreaks” loading incorrect tiebreak strings.

Version 11.55 (September 9, 2024)

• Added player titles to Events page reports.
• Fixed disabled option to display class in standings report.
• Fixed renumbering boards in the pair chart skipping a board if black player had a reserved board.

Version 11.54 (August 21, 2024)

• New: Support for all the expanded FIDE tiebreak systems.
• New: Ability to display prizes for all sections at once.
• Reduced restrictions on characters that can be used in section names and tournament titles.
• Enhanced Chess.com imports to allow for blank lines and misplaced tiebreak columns.
• Fixed board numbers reset for forced pairings in the pairings setup dialog when AutoSave was turned on.
• Added bye message to NAChess report.

Version 11.53 (May 23, 2024)

• Fixed club list not importing birthdate.
• Added support for different Windows taskbar locations to avoid small main window.

Version 11.52 (April 2, 2024)

• Added zebra striping option for the screen view of wall chart and standings.
• Fixed multi-view pairings board numbers not being refreshed consistently.
• Fixed Html table width setting of Auto not being remembered.
• Fixed Save As selection not presenting a save dialog on some systems.

Version 11.51 (March 14, 2024)

• Fixed forced pairings and byes selected in the pairings setup dialog getting cleared.

Version 11.5 (March 7, 2024)

• Added warnings when saving files to OneDrive or DropBox.
• Added a check on corrupted data that caused a range check error upon startup.
• Fixed fixed-roster pairings changing from the initial pairings when seating players by table.
• Fixed fixed-roster columns not staying hidden when requested.

Version 11.49 (February 1, 2024)

• Fixed zero-point byes not being imported when registering players one-at-a-time from a custom database.
• Fixed Move player dialog not sorted alphabetically.
• Improved initial directory setting for file open operations.
• New feature: User-set labeling for Age/Grade column.

Version 11.48 (January 1, 2024)

• Fixed accelerated pairings not removing byes before setting pairing groups.
• Fixed saving immediately after deleting a player causing the deletion to be forgotten.
• Fixed problem with modal window sometimes disappearing behind another window.
• New feature: Added straight median tiebreak and revised default USCF tiebreaks.
• New feature: Allow merging between rounds.

Version 11.47 (November 25, 2023)

• Fixed Berger round robin table setting getting reset to Crenshaw.
• Fixed NACH web report creator omitting prizes.
• Added feature to allow for adjusting the screen height when maximized.

Version 11.46 (November 13, 2023)

• Important fix: Blitz results entered in double-entry mode now update player scores immediately.
• Fixed database not automatically initializing upon a call to import players from a text list of ID numbers.
• Fixed exporting to html with CSS ignoring the font size when auto-sizing of the table was not selected.

Version 11.45 (November 3, 2023)

• Fixed two tiebreak order issues for the Events page.
• Charts now update immediately after using the roster to make changes.
• Fixed task launcher freezing when long filenames were the same when abbreviated.

Version 11.44 (October 21, 2023)

• Improved board order to ensure higher rated players are not moved down.
• Fixed form size issue for pair chart.
• Fixed original tournament title not being retained when importing a section from another tournament.
• Fixed fixed-roster web reports skipping the individual listing when created in team mode.

Version 11.43 (August 10, 2023)

• Fixed alphabetical pairings for blitz style not showing board numbers.
• Fixed forfeited results in blitz style DoubleEntryMode not being displayed correctly.

Version 11.42 (July 15, 2023)

• Fixed automatic backup saves mistakenly flagging the tournament as officially saved.
• Fixed NACH reporting of double round robins.
• Fixed Dump to Excel being greyed out until first round pairings were made.

Version 11.41 (June 28, 2023)

• Fixed reserve byes not being reset under FIDE pairings, which could cause pairings to abort (Versions 11.36–11.4).
• Fixed uploads of SwissSys files to NACH.

Version 11.4 (June 25, 2023)

• Back by popular demand: Enter both results in double-blitz style with a single click.
• NACH hub improvement: Upload SwissSys file with the report.
• Fixed standings not showing “H” for reserved half point byes in rounds not yet played.
• Fixed renaming sections from the Tournament Setup dialog changing the display but not the listing in memory.
• Fixed overriding the FIDE accelerated pairings rule being ignored.

Version 11.36 (May 28, 2023)

• Fixed renaming from the Tournament Setup dialog renaming the wrong section.
• Fixed range check error when opening the program with 6 tiebreaks set.
• Fixed two issues with uploads to the NACH hub.
• Fixed “Delete All” option only deleting the first player listed after a double forfeit.
• Fixed reload of player info from Tinker dialog not updating blank expiration dates.
• Fixed deleting players before the start of the tournament causing a range check error.

Version 11.35 (May 15, 2023)

• Important: Fixed load of settings failing if the maximum of 6 tiebreak choices was set.
• Fixed USCF rating report in standings order listing forfeited opponents incorrectly.
• Fixed player place in the standings being incorrectly indexed for the NACH report.

Version 11.34 (May 1, 2023)

• Fixed reading ChessHub files in version 10 format.

Version 11.33 (April 24, 2023)

• Updated contact information with change to new SwissSys host.

Version 11.32 (April 17, 2023)

• Fixed pairing logic failing if one of the sections was not legally pairable.
• Improved flow with default folder option - Choice of last-used or current tournament folder.
• Fixed including pairing information with emails not listing the board numbers.
• Added support for DGT format of PGN game headers.

Version 11.31 (November 22, 2022)

• Added check on name length for Fide pairings.
• Fixed updating ratings from custom databases failing if a player had no ID number.
• Added save backups every time pairings are made.
• Important: Fixed “Access Error” when switching sections in pair chart.

Version 11.3 (March 5, 2023)

• Important fix for fixed-roster events: Switching teams in the pair chart now updates the individual opponents.
• Fixed the reported count of available players being off.

Version 11.2x Series

Version 11.27 (February 17, 2023)

• Fixed duplicating a player after the tournament has begun inserting them into the new pair chart mistakenly.
• Fixed using the undo menu after a change to a fixed-roster result in the Results Editor mixing up teams and players in the wall chart.
• Fixed updating player data from database failing to update some data.

Version 11.26 (February 1, 2023)

• Fixed cancelling a registration leading to other players being duplicated.

Version 11.25 (January 29, 2023)

• Fixed mixing round robin and Swiss leading to failure to exit a section.
• Fixed timing and memory overwrite issue: Backups are no longer saved automatically after certain operations.
• Improved check on duplicate players when loading a club list.
• Fixed individual-team ratings being listed incorrectly on the Events page.

Version 11.24 (January 17, 2023)

• Made titles case insensitive for ranking purposes.
• Combined view can now combine sections despite presence of unfinished rounds.
• Fixed Bucholtz Cut tiebreaks not compensating correctly for unplayed games.
• Fixed range error withdrawing players when the option to clear reserved byes was disabled.

Version 11.23 (December 18, 2022)

• Fixed loading from USCF database altering the class indication.
• Fixed naming of sections after cloning a tournament not being consistent.
• Fixed exporting pair chart to html not saving text with expected utf-8 encoding.
• Fixed refreshing the combined sections view appending players rather than overwriting.
• Fixed cloning a tournament and clearing old players giving an access error when switching sections.
• Fixed club lists being expanded unnecessarily when they were updated.
• Fixed Events page Master List omitting some fields.

Version 11.22 (November 26, 2022)

• New feature: Option to save to older .tmt file with all sections saved at once for backwards compatibility.
• New feature: Check on provisional rating added for Update Ratings from Database command.
• Fixed editing of Registration list not pulling up the selected players or duplicating the player.
• Fixed alphabetical pairings for round robins failing for a round with an odd number of players.
• Fixed cancellation of tiebreak changes being ignored.

Version 11.21 (November 10, 2022)

• Fixed problem reading archived files from version 6 and older.
• Fixed writing to dtf with round-by-round results included truncating the final result character.
• Fixed missing flag to mark pre-merge sections as non FIDE-rateable.

Version 11.2 (October 27, 2022)

• Fixed reload of provisional ratings listing a “p” that was flagged as an invalid rating.
• Fixed Quebec numeric format and ANSI-formatted names causing FIDE pairings to abort.
• New Features:
  • Added edit capability to the Tournament-at-a-Glance dialog.
  • Option to use ID2 and Rating2 in rating reports.
  • Option to include the Rating2 in the standings listing.
  • Improved naming convention for backup files.
  • Fixed-roster board orders are now updated automatically when a new player is added.
  • Added contact information to prize reports.

Version 11.18 (October 12, 2022)

• Fixed head-to-head tiebreak for round robins.
• Fixed team pairings for current section not listing board numbers.

Version 11.17 (October 6, 2022)

• Fixed option to toggle backup saving getting reset automatically.
• Fixed reading version 10 format files not loading all teams.

Version 11.16 (September 28, 2022)

• Fixed rating formula not being remembered.
• Fixed ratings not updating immediately after a rating formula change.
• Added rating ranges to prize setup printout.
• Fixed toggling team-based mode in version 11.15.

Version 11.15 (September 25, 2022)

• Fixed pair chart incorrectly flagging some players as having byes.
• Fixed class trophy prizes being listed twice.
• Added more helpful error messages.
• Changed automatic backups to save only from the main view.

Version 11.13 (September 19, 2022)

• Added more helpful error when attempting to use an out-of-date database index file.
• Fixed changing round robin to Swiss format not clearing board assignments.
• Fixed ladder rankings not being saved to new file format properly.

Version 11.12 (September 1, 2022)

• New feature: FTP uploads
• Fixed merges needing a check on duplicate section names and updating of user-set merged file names.

Version 11.11 (August 26, 2022)

• Fixed USCF Rating report for blitz style not doubling the number of rounds.
• Fixed spaced round robin blitz format causing range check error and failing to pair.

Version 11.1 (August 17, 2022)

• Important: Fixed issue in FIDE mode where a second full point bye could be assigned after a reload of the file.
• Fixed web report omitting columns if the current section didn’t need them.

Version 10.x Series

Version 10.52 (November 26, 2022)

• Output for Events page uploads was listing player handles twice.

Version 10.51 (June 16, 2022)

• Norms adjusted so that FM and WFM titled opponents counted towards the minimum required.
• Events page prize listings incorrect in some sections.

Version 10.5 (June 6, 2022)

• Support for revised Events page uploads.
• Allow read of fixed-roster club to import to the current section.
• Prize distribution bug with Irregular class prizes.
• Allow blank column headers in Excel databases.
• Rarely, modified random pairings could give a rematch.
• Task Launcher was sometimes not showing in the foreground.

End of Legacy Version History

This concludes the historical version archive for SwissSys releases prior to ChessRoster integration. For the complete and up-to-date release history, visit the SwissSys Downloads page .

Related Topics

• Downloading, Installing & Activating - Get SwissSys set up on your computer
• System Requirements - Verify your PC meets the minimum requirements