Unplayed game

An unplayed game appears in a tournament's organization or standings but contains no game that was actually contested. It may result from a no-show, a bye in which a participant has no opponent for the round, withdrawal, exclusion, or an administrative decision that prevented play from starting.

The event may assign a result or game points for standings purposes. That administrative record does not turn the pairing into a played game. The exact treatment of byes, defaults, and withdrawals depends on the competition regulations.

For FIDE rating, games unplayed because of forfeit or another reason do not count. The regulations provide a practical boundary: subject to specified exceptions, a game in which both players made at least one move is treated as played for rating purposes.

This is different from an unfinished game. The latter contains moves but still lacks a known or settled outcome; an unplayed game has no over-the-board development.