PaQueueKa

Round robin schedule generator

Players or teams and courts in; every round, every court, the byes and how long it takes out.

By Albert Antioquia · Updated

Enter how many players or teams you have and how many courts. The generator lists every round, which court each match is on, and who sits out when the count is odd. Everyone plays everyone else once. It works for singles players or fixed doubles teams, in badminton, pickleball or anything else.

min
Matches
15
Rounds
5
Match slots
10
Playing time
2 h 30 min

Playing time is match slots × minutes per match, with no breaks between rounds. Add a few minutes per round for changeovers.

  1. Round 1

    • Court 1:Team 1 v Team 6
    • Court 2:Team 2 v Team 5
    • Then court 1:Team 3 v Team 4

  2. Round 2

    • Court 1:Team 5 v Team 1
    • Court 2:Team 6 v Team 4
    • Then court 1:Team 2 v Team 3

  3. Round 3

    • Court 1:Team 1 v Team 4
    • Court 2:Team 5 v Team 3
    • Then court 1:Team 6 v Team 2

  4. Round 4

    • Court 1:Team 3 v Team 1
    • Court 2:Team 4 v Team 2
    • Then court 1:Team 5 v Team 6

  5. Round 5

    • Court 1:Team 1 v Team 2
    • Court 2:Team 3 v Team 6
    • Then court 1:Team 4 v Team 5

How the schedule is made: the circle method

This is the standard way to build a round robin by hand, sometimes called the Berger method. With an even number of entries:

  1. Write the entries in two rows facing each other. Each column is a match.
  2. Keep entry 1 fixed in its seat.
  3. After each round, move everyone else one seat clockwise.
  4. Stop when the rotation would bring the first round back. That is n − 1 rounds.

With an odd number, add a blank entry called the bye. Whoever is paired with the bye sits out that round. Each entry gets exactly one bye, and there are n rounds instead of n − 1.

How many matches and how long

A single round robin has n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 matches. Courts don’t change that number; they only change how many matches run at the same time. The table assumes two courts:

EntriesMatchesRoundsMatch slots on 2 courtsAt 15 min a match
46330 h 45 min
510551 h 15 min
6155102 h 30 min
8287143 h 30 min
10459276 h 45 min
126611338 h 15 min
Match slots = rounds × waves per round. No changeover time included.

The number grows fast. Eight teams is 28 matches; twelve is 66. Past about eight entries, split them into groups of four or five and play a round robin in each group, then a knockout between the group winners. The trade-offs are in round robin vs knockout.

Tips for running it on the day

  • Use short games. One game to 11 (pickleball) or to 15 or 21 (badminton) keeps a round robin of six to about two hours on two courts with 12-minute games, if you fill gaps as they open.
  • Post the whole schedule. Print it or screenshot it into the group chat so teams know when they play.
  • Record points, not just wins. Ties on wins are common, and points difference is the usual tiebreaker.
  • Fill gaps. If one court finishes early, start the next match from the following round as long as neither team is still playing.

This is a schedule made before play. If players arrive and leave through the night, a live queue is a better fit than a round robin; see round robin vs open play.

Questions people ask

How does a round robin with an odd number of teams work?

Add a blank entry called a bye. Whoever is paired with it sits out that round. Every team gets exactly one bye, and the event has as many rounds as there are teams.

Try it at your next session

PaQueueKa runs the queue, the rotation and the fee split for badminton and pickleball. Hosting and joining are free on iPhone and Android.

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