What does seed 1 mean?

Seed 1 is the strongest player on the entry list. Lower numbers are stronger. If a player has no seed number, rating is used next, then name.

How are players put into groups?

Groups use a snake draw. Seeded mode keeps your seed order; random mode shuffles first, then snakes. That spreads the strongest players across groups instead of stacking them in one group.

What is Standard knockout seeding?

Qualifiers are placed by finish level: all group winners first (A1, B1, C1…), then all second-place finishers, and so on. The bracket pads to the next power of two with byes.

What is the difference between Standard and Top-seed?

Both use the same qualifiers. Standard lines them up by finish place (A1, B1, C1… then A2, B2…) then applies classic 1-vs-16 pairings, so leftover BYEs sit at the end of that list. Top-seed locks A1 on the top line and B1 on the bottom line, then fills sections so group winners are separated and usually get the BYEs.

Do two groups and 16 players force 2-group Club seeding?

No. Two groups with at most 16 players unlocks 2-group Club as an extra option for a printed R16 sheet. You can still choose Standard or Top-seed for that same field.

Draws & brackets

How seeding works

Seeding decides who sits where — in groups and in the knockout. This page explains seed numbers, the snake group draw, and the knockout layouts Table Tennis Tube uses.

Organizer guide Try the playground

The idea

Stronger players are spread out

Seed 1 is the strongest name on the list. The draw keeps top seeds apart early so they meet later — in the knockout final or late rounds, not in the first group match if it can be avoided.

Entry list

Give players a seed number (1 = strongest). If a seed is missing, rating is used. If rating is missing too, names sort alphabetically. Unseeded players sit after seeded ones.

Groups

Players are dealt into groups in a snake: 1 goes to Group A, 2 to B, 3 to C… then the next row reverses so the strongest leftover lands with the weakest group so far.

Knockout

After groups, qualifiers (A1, B1, A2…) are placed on the knockout sheet using the method you picked — Standard, Top-seed, or optionally 2-group Club.

Group draw

Snake into groups

Seeded keeps your seed/rating order, then snakes. Random shuffles first, then snakes. Same snake either way.

Example — 8 players, 4 groups

Seeds 1–8 dealt left to right, then back again:

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Seed 1	Seed 2	Seed 3	Seed 4
Seed 8	Seed 7	Seed 6	Seed 5

Each group gets one of the top 4 and one of the bottom 4. Seed 1 is not stacked with seed 2.

Try this group snake in the playground

Knockout

How qualifiers are placed

After groups finish, pick a knockout method. Standard and Top-seed work for any number of groups. 2-group Club is an extra printed-sheet option — not required just because you used two groups.

1. Standard

Line everyone up by finish place, then apply classic pairings (1 vs last, 2 vs next-last, and so on).

Order is A1, B1, C1, D1… then A2, B2, C2…
That list is dropped onto a 1-vs-16 style bracket.
If the field is not a power of two, leftover slots at the end of that list become BYEs — not always next to A1.
Use this for most events. Simple and what players expect.

Open Standard (6 groups, 2 advance)

2. Top-seed

Protect group winners first. Same 12 qualifiers as Standard in the link below — watch where A1, B1, and the BYEs sit.

A1 is locked on the top line, B1 on the bottom line.
Other winners are rotated into separate quarters so they cannot meet in round 1.
BYEs are given to those protected winner slots first.
Use this when you want winners to have an easier first round and a later winner-vs-winner match.

Open Top-seed (same 6 groups)

See the difference

Both playground links use the same field: 6 groups of 4, top 2 advance (12 knockout players, round of 16, 4 BYEs). Open Standard in one tab and Top-seed in another.

In Standard, look down the list: A1, B1, C1… then A2, B2… with BYEs toward the later seeds. In Top-seed, A1 should sit at the very top with a BYE nearby, and B1 at the very bottom.

Standard Top-seed

Optional

3. 2-group Club

Only available when you choose exactly two groups and at most 8 players per group (max 16 players). It is an extra printed R16 sheet — not the only choice.

If you run two groups with 16 players or fewer, you can still pick Standard or Top-seed. Choose 2-group Club only when you want the clipboard layout: Group 1 place n vs Group 2 place (9−n), G1#1 at the top, G2#1 at the bottom.

Same-group players cannot meet until the final if favorites hold. Missing places under 8 become BYEs.

Try 2-group Club (2×7, R16)

Good to know

Byes, same-group meetings, and standings

If the knockout is not a power of two, empty slots become BYEs. Top seeds usually get those byes.
Two groups and 16 players or fewer unlocks 2-group Club — it does not force it. You can still use Standard or Top-seed on that same field.
Who advances (A1, A2…) comes from group standings — points, then point differential, then set differential, then rating. Read how group standings work.
You can preview every method in the bracket playground before you lock a live event.

Ready to draw your event?

Practice in the playground, then create a free tournament and pick the same seeding method for groups and knockout.

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