Knockout

In a knockout tournament, participants are paired in elimination contests, often called ties. The winner of each contest advances to the next round and the loser is eliminated. The process repeats until one winner remains.

In chess, each tie is often a match of one or more games rather than a single game. If the score is level, the regulations must specify how advancement is decided, for example through rapid or blitz games, which give each player less thinking time than classical games. The 2025 World Cup organized by the International Chess Federation used two classical games in each match and, if the score remained level, added rapid or blitz games.

The elimination bracket, the chart showing the possible path through the rounds, can seed selected participants by placing them in predetermined positions so they do not meet too early. It can also award byes, which let some players advance without playing a round, or use preliminary rounds. These options mean the starting field does not have to contain exactly 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on. Unlike a round-robin or Swiss system, losing the relevant tie can immediately end a player's participation.