Managing No-Shows, Mid-Event Withdrawals & Substitutes
Handling player no-shows, mid-event drops, and late substitutes without corrupting schedule invariants or wiping recorded scores.
When a player arrives late, leaves due to injury, or fails to show up, tournament organizers must adjust the roster while preserving match history and rotation balance.
Pre-Match No-Shows: Using the Waitlist
If a registered player fails to check in before schedule generation:
- Open the Players card on the event view page.
- Click Options and locate the absent player's chip.
- Click Remove to release their seat.
- The system automatically triggers
promoteNext, pulling the top eligible entrant from the waitlist into the vacant slot.
In gender-mixed events (Type 29), waitlist promotion walks the queue until it finds a player matching the required seat gender (M or F).
Mid-Event Withdrawals (Injury or Departure)
If a player must leave after several games have already been played, follow the permanent data protection rules:
| Scenario | Recommended Action | System Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Games Already Scored | Leave scores intact | Completed scores and Elo updates are permanently locked and will not be erased. |
| Unplayed Remaining Games | Enter substitute player | Swap the replacement player into the unplayed game schedule rows. |
| No Substitute Available | Score unplayed game as forfeit (e.g. 11–0) | Opponents receive win credit; differential reflects the recorded default. |
Swapping a Substitute into Remaining Games
To assign a substitute without regenerating the tournament schedule:
- Navigate to Manage Event Games.
- Locate the unplayed matchup rows containing the departing player.
- Use the inline player dropdown to replace the slot with the substitute (or guest placeholder).
- Subsequent scores will attribute wins and point differentials to the new player while preserving the departing player's completed records.
The Permanent Archive Policy
Picklemix enforces a strict archive invariant: completed events and scored games are never deleted. Even if a user deletes their account or leaves a club, all historical game records remain intact to preserve the rating accuracy of everyone who played with or against them.