Bracket size and byes
Brackets work in powers of two: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Round your number of players up to the next one. The difference is the number of byes: players who go straight through round 1.
For example, 12 players use a 16-player bracket with 4 byes. After round 1, 8 players are left and the bracket runs normally.
| Players | Bracket | Byes | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | 16 | 4 | 4 |
| 20 | 32 | 12 | 5 |
How many matches?
Every match knocks out exactly one player, so a single elimination tournament always has players − 1 matches (plus a 3rd-place playoff if you add one). 16 players means 15 matches.
Seeding
Seeding keeps the strongest players apart until the late rounds. In a standard seeded bracket, seeds 1 and 2 can only meet in the final, and the top seeds get the byes.
No rankings to go on? A random draw is fine for a social event.
Make it
The free bracket generator on this site builds the bracket from a list of names, adds byes, and lets you click winners through and print it.
To run it live, Tournament Generator's Single Elimination seeds randomly, by rating or manually, adds byes automatically, has an optional 3rd-place playoff and shares a live link so players can follow the draw.
FAQ
What is a bye?
A free pass through a round, used when the number of players isn't a power of two. The player with the bye goes straight to the next round.
Should I use single or double elimination?
Single elimination is quickest. Double elimination gives everyone a second chance, so it takes longer but one bad match doesn't end anyone's day.
Related
Free bracket generator · Single Elimination format · Double Elimination format
