Free chess pairing program: nothing to install
ChessLivo is a free chess pairing program that runs in your browser. Add the players, let it pair by the FIDE rules, check and publish the round, enter the results, and the standings follow. There is nothing to download and no licence to buy.
What does a pairing program do?
A pairing program decides who plays whom, and with which colour, in every round, by the rules of the tournament system. It keeps players from meeting twice, balances the colours and gives the bye of an odd field to the right player.
On ChessLivo you install nothing: the tournament opens in your browser, and players can follow the pairings and standings on their phones.
Which pairing systems are there?
- Swiss: the FIDE Dutch system (C.04.3); 4 to 200 players, 3 to 15 rounds, each round paired from the scores so far.
- Round robin: FIDE Berger tables (C.05 Annex 1); 3 to 16 players, single or double, all rounds paired at once.
- Team Swiss: the FIDE Swiss Team Pairing System (C.04.6); 4 to 100 teams.
- Team round robin: 3 to 16 teams, 2 to 10 boards a match, a lineup for each round.
Only need a table? The round robin generator asks for no account.
The organizer has the last word
- See it before publishing. Players see a round only once you publish it.
- Checks. In an individual Swiss every round is also checked against the FIDE pairing rules; organizers see any warning.
- Changes. In an individual Swiss you can pair a round again or edit it by hand, with a warning for each rule the change breaks. A team Swiss round can be paired again.
- Late entries and withdrawals. In a Swiss you can add players between rounds and take a withdrawn player out of the pairing.
After the pairing
- Standings with FIDE C.07 tie-breaks such as Buchholz and Sonneborn-Berger, updated with every result.
- Crosstables and printing: pairings, standings and crosstables print as clean tables for the notice board.
- Public pages that players and spectators can open on a phone. An ad-hoc tournament is visible only if you make it public.
- TRF-2026 file: download the tournament in the FIDE report format for pairing checkers and other tournament programs.
Your first pairing in three steps
- Get an account. Create a free account and confirm your email address.
- Add the players. A quick tournament takes the names on one page and is unrated. If you play regularly, create a club: players need no account and club ratings are kept.
- Pair and publish. Choose the format, pair the first round or the whole schedule, check it, publish it and enter the results.
The getting started guide takes you through it step by step.
Questions about the chess pairing program
- Is the pairing program really free?
- Yes. Tournaments, pairings, standings, public pages and the TRF export are free, and there is no licence to buy.
- Do I have to install anything?
- No. ChessLivo runs in the browser and there is nothing to download. You run the tournament from the computer you sign in on, and players can open the pages on a phone.
- Do I need an account?
- You need a free account to pair tournaments; your players do not. Only the round robin table generator works without an account.
- Can I use it for FIDE-rated tournaments?
- ChessLivo pairs by the FIDE rules, but it is not a FIDE-endorsed program and does not submit tournaments for FIDE rating. For a rated event, settle the required program with your chief arbiter. It suits club, school and unrated tournaments.
- How is an odd number of players paired?
- In a Swiss one player gets the bye: the FIDE rules give it to a player in the lowest score group who has had neither a pairing-allocated bye nor a forfeit win. In a round robin one player rests each round.
Pair your next tournament on ChessLivo
Type the names and start a one-off tournament, or create your club once and pair each of its tournaments.