Pool-to-Bracket Format
How the Pool-to-Bracket format works in Hajime, from splitting athletes into round-robin pools through seeding the top finishers into a knockout playoff.
Applies to: Event organisers · Bracket managers
Pool-to-Bracket combines a round robin pool phase with a knockout playoff. Athletes are split into pools, everyone competes against everyone in their pool, and the top finishers from each pool advance into a single-elimination playoff bracket to decide final placements. It balances the fairness of a pool phase with the speed of a knockout for larger groups of athletes.
How pools work
Athletes are split into pools no larger than Pool Size. Within each pool, every athlete competes against every other pool member, exactly like a Round Robin pool. Once all pool matches are complete, the top finishers from each pool (as many as Advance Per Pool allows) move on to the playoff stage. Athletes who don't advance are ranked by their pool standing.
How the playoff works
Athletes who advance from their pools are seeded into a single-elimination playoff bracket using the chosen Seeding Method:
- Snake: seeds are distributed across pools in a zig-zag pattern so the strongest pool finishers don't meet each other too early.
- Random: playoff seeding is randomised.
The playoff itself currently always runs as a Single Elimination bracket.
Configuration reference
| Setting | What it controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Pool Size | Maximum number of athletes per pool | 4 (3–6) |
| Advance Per Pool | Number of top finishers per pool who move to the playoff | 2 (1–4, must be less than Pool Size) |
| Seeding Method | How playoff seeds are assigned from pool results (Snake or Random) | Snake |
| Playoff Type | Bracket format used for the playoff stage | Single Elimination |
Quick setup walkthrough
- Open your event and go to Specialities.
- Click Add Speciality and fill in the name, weight, and gender category.
- Set Competition Type to Pool-to-Bracket (Multistage).
- Under Format Configuration, set Pool Size and Advance Per Pool based on how many athletes you expect and how many should reach the playoff.
- Choose a Seeding Method for the playoff stage.
- Save the speciality and proceed to register athletes.
- Once all athletes are registered, open the bracket and click Generate: Hajime forms the pools first, then generates the playoff bracket once pool matches are complete.