← All formatsSingle Elim
Single elimination
Lose once, you're out. Fastest format with the fewest matches.
- formula
- N − 1
- complexity
- simple
- best for
- 8–64 players
How it works
Players compete in a knockout bracket: winners advance, losers leave. Number of rounds equals log₂(N) rounded up, where N is the participant count. If N is not a power of two, byes fill the extra slots in round one so every active player has an opponent.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The fewest matches of any format — eight times less than round robin
- Fits into a single day even with large fields
- Simple, familiar bracket — easy to explain
- Produces a clear champion with no tiebreakers
Cons
- A player knocked out in round one gets just one match
- Random seeding can pair top players in the first round
- No way back after a single loss
- Ranking beyond first and second place is imprecise
When to pick it
- 01You need a winner in a single day
- 02Large field (16+) with limited courts
- 03Cup-style event focused on the champion, not full ranking
- 04Open events with clear skill gaps
How many matches
Match and round count by participant number — plan your courts and schedule.
formulaN − 1
Every match eliminates one player. To produce a single champion you must eliminate N−1 others — so there are exactly N−1 matches.
| Participants | Matches | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | 4 |
| 32 | 31 | 5 |
| 64 | 63 | 6 |
| 128 | 127 | 7 |