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How it works

The rules, in plain language.

Everything that decides a result — formats, scoring, tiebreakers, ratings, and how scores get entered. GoldenPoint handles the structure — so you spend your time playing, not doing admin. This is the page to settle a question mid-match.

New to GoldenPoint? Read why it exists

LeaguesTournamentsAmericanoRolesTiebreakersRatingsResultsLive scoringAchievementsFAQ
01

Leagues

Doubles-only, fixed-partner teams playing a round-robin season across skill-based divisions.

Seasons

Every team plays every other team in its division once. A season produces one division table, computed live from the results.

Points

  • Match win — 3 points
  • Loss in three sets (2–1) — 1 point
  • Loss in two sets (0–2) — 0 points

Promotion & relegation

  • One team up, one team down per season.
  • The top of the highest division stays.
  • The bottom of the lowest division stays.
  • End-of-season movements are confirmed by an admin.

Team identity

A team is its two core players — the partnership IS the team. Each team keeps a small pool of subs, and any two from the pool can play a given match; rating and standings belong to the team, not the players on a given night. A permanent change to a core player starts a new team.

02

Tournaments

One-day events for teams or individual players, with self-registration up to the start.

Formats

  • Single-elimination — a bracket where winners advance and losers are out.
  • Round-robin — everyone plays everyone, ranked by the same points and tiebreakers as a league.
  • Group + knockout — round-robin groups feed a cross-seeded playoff bracket.

Points (round-robin & groups)

  • Match win — 3 points
  • Loss in three sets (2–1) — 1 point
  • Loss in two sets (0–2) — 0 points
  • Walkover — 3 points to the winner, 0 to the no-show

Seeding & byes

Seeds spread across the bracket so the strongest entrants meet late. When the count doesn't fill the bracket, the top seeds get a bye into the next round.

Walkovers & retirements

A no-show is recorded as a walkover. A mid-match retirement is scored so the retiring side wins no further games — the rest of the match is awarded to the opponent.

Running live

The organizer manages courts and confirms scores as matches finish, and the bracket or table fills in real time.

03

Americano sessions

Live social play where partners rotate and you score for yourself.

How it runs

Partners change every round and individual points are tallied across the whole session, so a night stands on its own.

Joining

Players join by code or QR — no installs. A live leaderboard updates as the organizer enters each round's scores.

Ranked or casual

Sessions are casual and unranked by default. An organizer can mark a session ranked to feed personal ratings.

04

Roles

A competition is run by a small team, and each person gets exactly the access they need — nothing more.

01

Host

Full control, including managing people and archiving.

02

Co-host

Runs the competition — scores, courts, gates, advancing. Can't manage people or archive.

03

Scorer

Enters scores only.

05

Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers follow the official FIP order — one standard across leagues and tournaments. When teams finish level on points:

  1. 1Two teams level — their head-to-head result decides.
  2. 2Three or more level — first on sets won vs lost in the matches among the tied teams, then games won vs lost among them.
  3. 3Still level after that — the final step: a drawing of lots (FIP's official method), an order set by the organizer, or registration order if the organizer takes no action.
  4. 4As soon as one team is clearly separated it's locked and the rest re-resolve from the top; a tie reduced to two is settled by their head-to-head.
  5. 5A walkover counts as 6–0 6–0 for this math; in tournaments a retirement is scored so the retiring side wins no further games.

What separates tied teams first is their record against each other — not the overall +/− shown in the table. A team with a better overall set difference can still finish lower if it lost the matches that mattered.

06

Ratings (Elo)

An Elo rating that moves with results — separate from league points.

What carries a rating

Teams accumulate a rating from league play. Individual players also carry a personal rating that travels across every format and helps seed future play.

The numbers

  • Every rating starts at a baseline of 1500.
  • The K-factor is 40 for the first 10 matches, then 20 — so early results move a rating faster.
  • A Provisional badge sits beside any rating with fewer than 10 matches.
  • Walkovers award standings points but skip the Elo update.

How it moves

Beat a stronger opponent and you gain more; lose to a weaker one and you drop more. An expected result barely moves either rating.

Ranked vs casual

League and tournament play is ranked. Americano sessions stay unranked unless the organizer marks them otherwise.

07

Match results

How a match is scored and how a result becomes official.

Match format

Matches are best-of-3 with golden point. The third set is played in full by default; tournaments can use a 10-point match tie-break instead.

Score entry — leagues

Either captain submits the score and the opposing captain confirms before it's official. A captain can dispute; an admin resolves it with an audit trail.

Score entry — live formats

In Americano and tournaments the organizer enters scores as matches finish and is the recording authority for the session.

08

Live scoring

Scores are entered courtside and confirmed by the other team, so the result everyone sees is the one both sides agreed on.

Submit

After a match, either team enters the set scores from a phone — no paper, no spreadsheet.

Confirm

The opposing team confirms the score before it becomes official, so both sides stand behind the record.

Dispute

If something looks wrong, a team can dispute instead of confirming, flagging it for the organizer to resolve.

Organizer override

An organizer can correct or finalize a result when needed — every change is written to the audit trail.

09

Achievements

Persistent badges your team earns across seasons — first wins, hot streaks, comebacks, big-rated upsets. They're auto-earned, live on your team profile, and never expire.

10

FAQ

Why did my Elo change — or not change?

Elo moves on the result and the gap between ratings: beating a stronger opponent gains more, an expected win barely moves it. It doesn't change on walkovers, and casual Americano sessions don't touch it unless they're marked ranked.

What if both teams enter different scores?

A league score is only official once the opposing captain confirms it. If captains disagree, either can dispute, and an admin resolves it with a full audit trail.

How are ties broken?

By the official FIP order, the same in leagues and tournaments: two teams level are split by their head-to-head; three or more by their record among the tied teams (sets, then games), then overall figures, then a draw. What separates tied teams first is their record against each other — not the overall +/− shown in the table.

What happens if a team withdraws?

A no-show is recorded as a walkover: it awards standings points but skips the Elo update. In a tournament, a mid-match retirement is scored so the retiring side wins no further games.

Can I play in more than one league?

Yes. Your player identity and personal rating follow you across every league, session, and tournament you join.

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