--- title: "Knockout tournament in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "In a knockout tournament, entrants are placed into a bracket and each pairing is a match or a short series. A knockout bracket halves the field in each stage." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/match-play.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/armageddon.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Knockout tournament 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. In a knockout tournament, entrants are placed into a bracket and each pairing is a match or a short series. A knockout bracket halves the field in each stage. In a knockout tournament, entrants are placed into a bracket and each pairing is a match or a short series, so every loss ends a player's event and the survivors meet again until one remains. A knockout bracket halves the field in each stage. In a field of 128 the first stage has 64 matches and the final has one. Each [pairing](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md) is usually a mini match of two or more games, and if the match is level the tie is settled by faster play-off games according to the event's rules. FIDE's Play-Off and [Tie-Break](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md) Regulations expect each event to say how its play-offs work, including whether the format is a [round robin](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md) or a knockout, the time limits and the color method. The format is exciting for spectators, because every match matters, but it is harsh on a strong player who has one bad day. It also needs an entry that is close to a power of two, or byes in the first stage. The Handbook's direct-title table shows how seriously FIDE takes it, listing results such as reaching the last 16 of the World Cup, a knockout, as a route to a title. See [match play](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/match-play.md), tiebreak and round robin to compare formats. Also called: knockout. Compare it with [Seeding](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/seeding.md). Seeding is the ordering of players before a tournament starts, usually by rating, which decides how pairings are made in the early rounds and who meets whom in a bracket. Also worth reading is [Armageddon](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/armageddon.md). Armageddon is a sudden death tiebreak game in which White receives more time than Black, but Black wins the game if it ends in a draw, so that exactly one player can come out ahead. Rating and title terms like "Knockout tournament" 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 - [Match play](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/match-play.md) - [Tiebreak](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md) - [Round robin](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md) - [Swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Armageddon](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/armageddon.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.07 Play-Off and Tie-Break Regulations, effective 1 March 2026 (Clause 3.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/TieBreakRegulations032026 - FIDE Handbook B.01 FIDE Title Regulations, effective 1 January 2024 (Clause 1.4.2), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 - FIDE Handbook B.01 Table for Direct Titles, effective 1 January 2026 (Direct titles table, World Cup rows), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B01DirectTitles2026 [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 - [Match play in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/match-play.md) - [Tiebreak in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md) - [Round robin in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md) - [Swiss system in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Armageddon in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/armageddon.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)