Features
Everything you need to run chess tournaments from your WordPress site.
FIDE standards built in
Chess Podium uses the same pairing engine as Swiss Manager (JaVaFo) and bbpPairings. Fully compatible with chess-results: import tournament data, player list, and round results from Excel exports. Integrate and replace Swiss Manager in your workflow.
Your club’s player hub
Turn your club site into a small player community: directory profiles with avatar, bio, FIDE/Lichess links, career stats, and a timeline of tournaments played at your club. Feels like a social layer for members—without another app.
- Public URLs such as /player/name-surname/ for each directory player
- Standings-style stats per tournament, performance charts, and game history where PGN is available
- Multilingual: translate your WordPress site; this marketing theme includes English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish
Monetize your tournaments with online registration
Let players register and pay online with Stripe or PayPal. Set the entry fee per tournament, collect payments automatically, and add players to the list—no manual work. Perfect for chess clubs that want to monetize events and cover costs.
- Public registration page with shortcode
- Stripe and PayPal integration
- Automatic player creation on payment
- Email confirmation to players
Email your players (Pro, GDPR-friendly)
Send HTML announcements and pairing links only to players who registered with an email and opted in for technical communications. Compose messages in the Communications tab, personalize with placeholders, and deliver in the background—without overloading your admin session.
- Opt-in for technical emails at registration (editable per player in admin)
- Placeholders for player name, tournament, public pairing URL, board, and round
- General broadcast or current-round pairings — shortcut from the Rounds tab
- Background sending in small batches; recent sends log per tournament
- Test email to any address before bulk send (preview data, [TEST] subject prefix)
Live DGT boards — it just works
Broadcast your tournament games in real time from DGT boards to your website. No FTP, no complex config. Download Chess Podium Connect (free Windows app), enter your site URL, select the PGN file or live URL, choose Start. Keep Chess Podium open in your browser when publishing.
- Streamlined Windows app (CP Connect)
- File PGN or remote URL — same PC or different PC in the venue
- Auto-mapping: board 1 = game 1, no config file
- Compatible with DGT LiveChess and boards that export PGN
FIDE-standard pairing
Same pairing engine as Swiss Manager and chess-results (JaVaFo or bbpPairings). Fully compatible with chess-results Excel: import tournament data, player list, and round results. Can integrate and replace Swiss Manager. FIDE rules, TRF export for rating submission.
Tournament Management
Create tournaments, add players, manage rounds and results—all in one intuitive panel.
Swiss & Round Robin
Swiss pairing by score or Round Robin where everyone plays everyone. Configurable BYE points.
Public Pages
Publish standings, pairings, and results instantly. Share a live URL with players during the event.
Player directory — club player hub
Public profile pages with photo, bio, links, career statistics, and every tournament played with your club—giving members a lightweight social layer on your site. Multilingual: translate your WordPress site and showcase players in English, Italian, German, French, or Spanish (chesspodium.com template included).
Standings & Tiebreakers
Automatic standings with Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, rating, and direct encounter tiebreakers.
Printable Pairings
Generate a round and print the pairing sheet in one step—ready to post on the wall.
Round Rollback
Made a mistake? Undo the current round and regenerate. No data loss.
CSV Export & Import
Export pairings and standings to CSV. Import from chess-results Excel: tournament data, player list, and round results. Bulk import players from spreadsheets.
FIDE TRF Export
Export tournament in official FIDE TRF format for rating submission or archive.
Fixed Board Assignment
Assign a fixed board to a player (e.g. for wheelchair access). The pairing engine respects it.
FIDE Import
Enter a FIDE ID to auto-import name, rating, and nationality from the official database.
Archive Widget
Display your club's tournament history on any page with a shortcode or widget.
External tournaments
Add tournaments from Vega, Swiss Manager, or other software. Unified display on your site.
Grand Prix
Create Grand Prix series for social tournaments. Points per position (1st, 2nd, etc.), participation points, social ELO, aggregated standings across tournaments.
Live DGT boards
Broadcast games in real time from DGT boards. CP Connect: streamlined Windows app, no config. File PGN or remote URL. Auto-mapping.
ProOnline registration with payment
Public registration page with Stripe and PayPal. Players pay the fee and are added automatically. Email confirmation included.
ProTournament communications (Pro)
Email opted-in players with HTML messages: announcements and pairing links with placeholders. Background delivery, send log, and test preview.
ProPGN Games (Pro)
Upload PGN files and display games with an interactive board viewer. Share with players.
ProPhoto Gallery (Pro)
Add a photo gallery to each tournament. Perfect for event memories and club archives.
ProExport to Folder (Pro)
Generate a complete HTML export: standings, rounds, games, and gallery in one package.
Pro