--- title: "Tiebreak in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tiebreak" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A tiebreak is a rule that ranks players who finish on the same score, either by a calculation from the results or by extra games." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/buchholz.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sonneborn-berger.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Tiebreak 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 tiebreak is a rule that ranks players who finish on the same score, either by a calculation from the results or by extra games. A tiebreak is a rule that ranks players who finish on the same score, either by a calculation from the results or by extra games, so that the final standings can be published. Equal scores are common in Swiss events, so organizers publish a list of tiebreaks before play starts. FIDE's tie-break regulations say each event should use an ordered list: rank by the first tiebreak, then apply the next to any group still level, and when the list runs out, draw lots unless the rules say the tie stands. The regulations sort the methods into types. Some use only the results among the tied players, like the direct encounter. Others use a player's own record, such as number of wins, or the results and ratings of opponents, like [Buchholz](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/buchholz.md) and the average rating of opponents. The choice matters, because each rewards something different: tough [opposition](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/opposition.md), beating the other leaders, or winning rather than drawing. Players should read the announcement for the order, because the same final scores can produce different podiums under different lists. Where a place carries a title or a qualification, an over-the-board play-off may be used instead. See Buchholz, [Sonneborn-Berger](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sonneborn-berger.md), [swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) and [knockout tournament](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.md). Also called: tie-break. Compare it with [Rapid playoff](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-playoff.md). A rapid playoff is a short extra game or mini match, played at a faster time control, that decides the winner after players tie in a tournament or match. A neighboring idea is [Match play](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/match-play.md). Match play is a format in which two players, or two teams, play a fixed set of games against each other and the side with the better total result wins the match. It sits close to [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. How "Tiebreak" applies to your own results depends on where you stand now, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) show what players near your rating work on. ## Related terms - [Buchholz](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/buchholz.md) - [Sonneborn-Berger](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sonneborn-berger.md) - [Swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Round robin](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md) - [Knockout tournament](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.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 (Articles 2 to 5), 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 - [Buchholz in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/buchholz.md) - [Sonneborn-Berger in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sonneborn-berger.md) - [Swiss system in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md) - [Round robin in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/round-robin.md) - [Knockout tournament in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knockout-tournament.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)