Starting rank

A starting rank is a participant's position in the starting list before games create result-based standings. A player might begin as number 12, for example, and later be third, twentieth or tied with several others.

FIDE Swiss systems use a closely related concept called the Tournament Pairing Number, or TPN. It is assigned from the initial order. The general rules normally sort players by strength, then FIDE title and then alphabetically unless another criterion has been announced.

Once the participant list and any permitted corrections are settled, the starting rank provides a reference for pairing procedures and internal tie decisions. Before that point, the related FIDE Tournament Pairing Number may be reassigned because of late entries or corrected data. It is not the player's current score and does not guarantee any particular opponent.