How Are Chess Tournaments Scored?


How are chess tournaments scored? There are many types of scoring systems in chess, some traditional and some that have the latest standardized alterations. Here are some of the most commonly used chess scoring systems.

Traditional scoring system


Chess is an ancient game, and most of its scoring systems are traditional, dating back to the 19th century. This system is simple. Players who win a game will be awarded one point, and draws are awarded a half-point. If you lose a game, you earn zero.


This ancient system was the first standard system of scoring in world tournaments. This system is very uncomplicated and makes a lot of sense. It’s also easy for the public to keep track of the scores. Just like the number of points tell you the number of goals in a football game, the score can tell you how many wins over losses or vice versa a player has.

How Are Chess Tournaments Scored


This scoring system is based on the idea that a draw is half as valuable as a win. This way, players will be forced to play more successfully in tournaments, as draws will hurt their ratings.

3-1-0 Scoring System


Some tournaments have moved away from the traditional scoring system and moved to the 3-1-0 scoring format. This format is called Football Scoring because it has been used in Soccer leagues all over the world.


This scoring system is advantageous in a way because it provides more incentives to winners. Each win in a chess tournament is given three points, and a draw is given one point. Losses are zero points. In this system, players who have scored one win and one loss are ranked above those who scored two draws (three points vs. two). So there is more encouragement to win and not to end in a draw.


And yes, this scoring system has successfully many players to take risks and fight for a win even when chances are slim. And this system has effectively reduced the number of draws in a tournament.


An important fact to note is that in this system, a player who has finished behind the opponent in a tournament in the traditional scoring system can finish above them in this 3-1-0 scoring system. But to chess players to whom the traditional scoring system is deeply ingrained, this may seem unfair.

How Are Chess Tournaments Scored

Other Less Prevalent Scoring Systems


There have been many innovations made to traditional scoring systems in chess in the past.
One such scoring system developed by Clint Ballard is known as the Ballard Antidraw Point System or the BAPS. This system was another way to discourage players from making draws. In this system, if black wins: 3 points, white wins: 2 points, and 1 point for black and 0 points for white if it’s a draw, and 0 points for losses.


As you can see, there is a slight disadvantage for black players. To overcome this, the second player is given the same points as for white. However, whites also have a major disadvantage. They don’t get any points for a draw, so it’s the same for them if they lose. This system is not very widely used, though.

How Are Chess Tournaments Scored

How Are Chess Tournaments Scored: Summary


There are two main types of scoring systems in chess tournaments. They are traditional scoring systems and 3-1-0scoring systems. The BAPS scoring system is also a system that is not very widely in use.

All scoring systems in chess have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the traditional system is the most widely used and accepted among most chess players. Other scoring systems are devised to discourage draws in chess and have successfully managed to reduce them.

Also Read: How common is Castling in chess?

*All pics are taken from Unsplash.com

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