--- title: "Board number in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/board-number.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/board-number" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A board number identifies the table at which a game is played, and in a team match it also names a player's place in the team order." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/team-event.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-olympiad.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bye.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Board number in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. A board number identifies the table at which a game is played, and in a team match it also names a player's place in the team order. A board number identifies the table at which a game is played, and in a team match it also names a player's place in the team order, with board one for the first player. Two different things share this name. At the venue, the board number is the table where your game sits, and it appears on the [pairing](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md) sheet next to your name. FIDE's handling rules recommend sorting published pairings by the highest score of the higher-ranked player, then the sum of scores, then the lowest pairing number, so the strongest games usually sit on the lowest tables. In a [team event](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/team-event.md), the board number is a position in the team's line-up. The [Olympiad](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-olympiad.md) pairing rules define board one as the first board of the team, a fixed seat rather than a particular person, and colors are assigned according to that seat. Board number also matters in [tiebreaks](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md) for team [knockouts](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.md), where the Board Count method multiplies each board number by the points scored there, and a lower total ranks higher. If you captain a team, the line-up order for the round is submitted before play, so check your event's rules on board order. Related entries are pairing, team event and chess Olympiad. It sits close to [Bye](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bye.md). A bye is a round in which a player has no opponent and still receives points; in a Swiss event it goes to one player when the field is odd. Rating and title terms like "Board number" matter once you know your next step, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) set out a weekly routine for each rating range. ## Related terms - [Pairing](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md) - [Team event](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/team-event.md) - [Chess Olympiad](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-olympiad.md) - [Swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Bye](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bye.md) ## Guides that go further - [Chess ratings explained](https://georgelichess.com/chess-ratings-explained.md): What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ. - [FIDE chess titles](https://georgelichess.com/titles.md): How the Candidate Master, FIDE Master, International Master and Grandmaster titles are earned, with every Handbook clause. - [How to get a FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-get-a-fide-rating.md): The Handbook rules for a first FIDE rating: five rated games, the 1400 floor, the two 1800 draws and a worked example. ## Sources - FIDE Handbook C.04.2 General handling rules for Swiss Tournaments, effective 1 February 2026 (Clause 3.6), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/GeneralHandlingRulesForSwissTournaments202602 - FIDE Handbook Olympiad Pairing Rules, effective 1 January 2022 (Clause 7.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/OlympiadPairingRules2022 - FIDE Handbook C.07 Play-Off and Tie-Break Regulations, effective 1 March 2026 (Article 12.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/TieBreakRegulations032026 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Pairing in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md) - [Team event in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/team-event.md) - [Chess Olympiad](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-olympiad.md) - [Swiss system in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Bye in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bye.md) - [Chess terms: Tournaments, ratings and titles](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)