Set up and run a handicap doubles tournament
This guide walks a badminton club through a handicap doubles tournament from start to finish. The first half sets it up: choosing players, drawing balanced pairs, building groups, and confirming the rules. The second half runs it on the day: entering the group scores, reading the standings, building the knockout, and finishing. For the feature at a glance, see the competitions reference.
You need a club organiser role that can manage members. Setup is a five-step wizard - you can leave it half-finished and come back; it saves as a draft.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- You need an even number of players, at least four (they play in pairs).
- Players are picked from your club members, so add anyone missing first - see Members.
- Ratings drive the balanced pairs and the head starts. Players without a rating yet are treated as around your club’s average.
1. Create the competition
Section titled “1. Create the competition”Open Competitions from the menu and choose New competition, then a handicap doubles tournament. Give it a name and a date (a short description is optional) and continue.
2. Choose the players
Section titled “2. Choose the players”Tick the members taking part. You can search by name and sort by name or rating. A running count shows at the bottom; you need an even number, so ePegboard prompts you if you land on an odd one.
If you come back and change the players after drawing pairs, the pairs clear and you redraw them on the next step.
3. Draw the pairs
Section titled “3. Draw the pairs”Pick how to pair players:
- Balanced (recommended) pairs a stronger player with a weaker one so games stay close. ePegboard draws the pairs for you.
- Manual lets you choose every pair yourself from two dropdowns.
With a balanced draw you can fine-tune the result:
- Lock a pair you are happy with - it stays put when you redraw the rest.
- Swap two players between pairs.
- Don’t pair two players - they will not be put together when you redraw (you can also add this as a veto for any two players).
- Regenerate redraws everyone who is not locked, keeping your locks and vetoes.
Everyone must be in a pair before you continue.
4. Build the groups
Section titled “4. Build the groups”Choose how pairs go into groups - at random, or spread the strong pairs evenly across the groups - and how many pairs per group (3, 4 or 5). A preview shows the resulting group sizes before you commit, then Generate groups draws them.
Within each group, ePegboard creates a round-robin automatically, so every pair plays every other pair in their group once.
5. Confirm the rules and start
Section titled “5. Confirm the rules and start”The last step shows the rules so everyone knows where they stand:
- Top two pairs from each group qualify for the knockout.
- Scoring: a single game to 21 (playable on to 30 if it goes to deuce).
- Tie-break order in a group: matches won first, then points difference.
- Head starts: weaker pairs get a start score so games stay close. ePegboard works this out from each pair’s rating - you never enter any numbers, and the stronger pair always starts on zero.
When you are happy, Start competition. This locks the draw - players, pairs and groups can no longer be changed - and the competition moves to in-progress.
Run the competition
Section titled “Run the competition”The rest of this guide covers running the competition once it has started. Open it from Competitions in the menu. It opens on its overview, with the groups and (later) the knockout below.
Enter the group scores
Section titled “Enter the group scores”Each group shows its round-robin matches. For a match, choose Enter score. A small panel opens with a button for each pair; tap a pair to set its score on a quick number grid, then Save.
Where a pair has a head start, it is shown next to their name (for example, “+4”), and their score starts from there. You do not enter the head start - ePegboard has already worked it out from the ratings.
You can edit a score you have already entered - choose Edit score on that match.
Read the standings
Section titled “Read the standings”Each group has a standings table that updates as results come in:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| P | Matches played |
| W / L | Won / lost |
| PF / PA | Points for / against |
| PD | Points difference |
| Pts | Competition points (two per win) |
Pairs are ranked by matches won, then by points difference if that is level. The top two in each group qualify for the knockout.
Build the knockout
Section titled “Build the knockout”Once every group match has a score, the knockout becomes available. If two pairs are tied for the last qualifying place in a group, ePegboard asks you to pick who goes through. Then choose Generate knockout to draw the bracket from the group qualifiers.
Entering a group score after this point is locked, so the bracket cannot shift under you - though you can still correct a clear mistake.
Run the knockout
Section titled “Run the knockout”The bracket shows each tie. Open a match that is ready, enter the score the same way as the group games (head starts are shown again where they apply), and save. Winners advance automatically, and slots waiting on an earlier result show what they are waiting for.
Finish
Section titled “Finish”When the final is decided, the competition shows the winner and runner-up with the day’s totals. The bracket stays on screen for reference. If you spot a wrong score afterwards, you can still correct a result.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Competitions reference - the feature at a glance.
- How ratings work - ratings drive the pairing and the head starts.
- Partnerships - which pairs play well together, worth a look before a manual draw.