Schedule pool brackets

Pool brackets play pools first, then bracket rounds and medal bouts. Guided plan asks how those stages should share the mats. The question appears on the Stages step whenever the divisions you picked have pool brackets.

Example: a 12U division of pool brackets in one queue on Mats 1–4.

Run straight through

Everything shares the queue. Each weight moves on to its bracket as soon as its own pools finish, so nobody waits for the slowest weight. This is the default and keeps mats busiest.

Pick it when families don’t need every weight to reach the bracket rounds at the same time.

Pools first, then the rest

Later stages run by round across every weight in the queue. A round starts when every weight has finished the bouts it needs. The whole division finishes pools, then plays each bracket round together.

Pick it when you announce stages (“bracket rounds start at 1:00”) or want all medal bouts late in the day.

Under Later stages run on, choose:

• Each queue’s mats to keep later stages on the same mats as the pools.
• Mats chosen when run to pick mats for the later stages when you run them, for example fewer mats once pools are done.

Set it up

1. On Match Publishing, choose Guided plan.
2. Session and Queues: name it, pick the division and Mats 1–4.
3. Stages: choose Run straight through or Pools first, then the rest.
4. Optional: turn on Finals run separately to move medal bouts to a featured mat. See Run finals on featured mats.
5. Numbering and Review: choose Save plan, then Run… it.

With Pools first, then the rest, the wizard creates one rule per queue that starts every pool and every other bracket in it, then a rule for each later stage, named for what it decides: the round after pools, such as Placement semifinals (or Placement quarterfinals or Placement crossovers), then Placement matches for every medal place together. Medal bouts you move with Finals run separately leave Placement matches. Open Show the N rules this creates on Review to see them. The plan’s Run… starts the pools; each later stage waits for its pools and takes its mats when you run its own rule. If those mats are still busy with the queue, Run suggests waiting until it finishes. Mats chosen when run sidesteps that by putting later stages on other mats.

Staged pool formats need Director Managed. If System Managed can’t publish them, Match Publishing shows Switch to Director Managed.

Related: Plan your tournament schedule.