Pairing Debate Elimination Rounds
Use this process to pair elimination rounds for two-team debate events. Debate elims use the event's configured elimination style, the selected break size, and the results from earlier rounds to build the bracket.
Before you pair
Confirm that the debate event uses the intended elimination tabulation style. Standard creates a seeded bracket. Phi Rho Pi uses the Bronze and Gold round structure.
Before pairing any elim after the first one, make sure every ballot from the previous elim has been recorded. FTN uses those results to determine which teams advance.
Open Pair/Section and select the round
Go to Admin → Pair/Section → Pair/Section. Select the schedule block where the elim will be held, check Pair/Section for the debate event, choose Elim, and open Settings.
For large tournaments, you can use Pair/Section (Async). It uses the same settings while showing background progress and more detailed error information.
Pair the first Standard elim (for a seeded bracket)
For the first elim, select both Teams Advancing to Elim 1 and the Elim Round you are pairing. The round determines the maximum number of teams its bracket can hold:
- Finals: 2 teams
- Semifinals: 4 teams
- Quarterfinals: 8 teams
- Octofinals: 16 teams
- Double Octofinals: 32 teams
The break may be smaller than the bracket capacity. FTN fills the unused seeds with byes. It may not be larger: for example, an eight-team break cannot be paired directly into Finals. Invalid larger break sizes are unavailable in the selector, and FTN returns an error if an invalid value is submitted.
Standard elims pair the highest remaining seed against the lowest, then continue inward through the bracket.
Pair a Phi Rho Pi elim
For a debate event using the Phi Rho Pi elimination style, choose the number of teams advancing and then select Bronze or Gold as appropriate for your tournament. Once Bronze has been paired, the next available elim is Gold.
Note that if you are pairing a bronze round, you should always select the number of teams divisible by 4 so that there are the right number of teams to debate each other in the gold round.
Choose the remaining debate settings
- # of Judges: Sets the number of judges assigned to each debate.
- Break Brackets: Allows FTN to move teams within the bracket when possible to avoid same-school matchups.
- Flip for Sides: Marks debates to flip for sides when the teams did not meet previously. When teams met in prelims, FTN assigns the opposite sides and locks them.
- Double Flight: Assigns judges and rooms across two flights.
Review whether judges and rooms should also be assigned, then submit Pair/Section.
Pair later elimination rounds
After the first elim, FTN determines the advancing teams from the recorded ballots and offers the next elim round. You do not select the break size again.
If FTN reports that the number of advancing teams does not match the selected round, return to the previous elim and confirm that every ballot has been recorded correctly before trying again.
If you paired the wrong round
Do not pair over the existing round. Delete the incorrect pairing first, or use the tools described in Advanced Pairing Fixes when you only need to adjust assignments or round classification.