There's a store championship near me I want to attend. It starts at 12. How long do these things go on for? I need to leave no later than 6pm. Is this a realistic expectation?

I haven't actually been to one, but if you have near 40 people, you should expect what, 5-6 rounds of swiss... at 1.25 hours each that would be a big nope. If you have like 32 people, maybe less. 4 rounds? but if you make it, add 3 rounds for top 4 or 8?

Depends on how many people show. Under 16 and you should be good.

Have a look at the X-Wing Tournament Rules; you'll find tables of recommended rounds of Swiss and top cuts for a given number of participants. (A quick rule of thumb is that you do about log2(n) rounds of Swiss for n players, e.g. for 16 players you'd do 4 rounds.)

Each round takes up to 75 minutes, and then there's usually 15 or so minutes between each round for the organizers to figure out who's paired up for the next round. If the tournament is large enough, there may be a food break in the middle.

After the Swiss rounds are done, a cut (if any) to single elimination happens. Up to 16 players there is no cut, so that's your best bet if you want to be done in 6 hours. Above that and you're looking at 8 rounds or more, if you make it all the way to the final table.

I went to a 53 person SC. 6 swiss rounds, Top 8 cut. Registration started at 9am, first game @ 10:15am. I got to Top 4 and finished my game at 11:30 pm. There were two 1 hour breaks for lunch and dinner.

If there's only 4 rounds and you don't make the cut, it could be close. But I'd probably say no.

Yeah, the first few answers were kind of diplomatic, but the actual answer is... NO.

Depending on the numbers that show up, and on the TO's time allotment for breaks/meals, it is highly likely that the thing will take longer than 6 hours from start to finish.

The last one I went to (less than a week ago) had 25 players (minimum number to go 5 rounds). We were supposed to begin at 2pm, we might have begun by 2:30. Five rounds ended at 11:30 (which is honestly not bad... we almost made the 15min between rounds). Then there was the cut to top four. I was actually glad to not be in the top four.

So let me say this.

If there are more than 8 players there is no way you are getting done before 6pm. No tournament ever starts on time, and very few actually stick to the 15m between rounds only.

Thanks for all the answers!

I think I'm going to have to pass on the one next week unfortunately. There's another one next month that I'll try to get to but at least I know it's literally an all-day affair.

It would be bad form to drop out after a couple of rounds, which would be my only other option.

Yeah, you are best to skip it in those circumstances if you don't want to drop out early.

A noon or later start time for a GSC is a red flag to me. There are obviously exceptions but I would be weary that someone, be it the TO and/or store has unrealistic expectations of how things will go and may be ill prepared to run such an event.

Notable exceptions are when the turnout will almost certainly be small or the store is planning to be open late to accommodate the players. Without any additional detail I would not expect this GSC to be run by an experienced TO/store. At which point you would have little chance of finishing before you need to leave.

No tournament ever starts on time, and very few actually stick to the 15m between rounds only.

Really? 15 minutes seems like a ton of time, I feel like we rarely need that much time locally though we usually cap out at around 24 people and having the TO collect scores as games finish help prepare for the next round more quickly.

Too long. I was planning to go to one this weekend. Then I read the schedule and my back started to ache. No 3po for me.

Thanks for all the answers!

I think I'm going to have to pass on the one next week unfortunately. There's another one next month that I'll try to get to but at least I know it's literally an all-day affair.

Sorry to hear you won't be able to make it, but yeah: following the tournament rules Geordan mentioned, most SCs are 5-6 rounds of Swiss, followed by a cut to top 4 or top 8. 10 hours is a reasonable estimate, and 12 hours is not unheard-of.

A noon or later start time for a GSC is a red flag to me. There are obviously exceptions but I would be weary that someone, be it the TO and/or store has unrealistic expectations of how things will go and may be ill prepared to run such an event.

Yup. Sometimes there are good reasons a store can't start until later in the day, but especially if I'm traveling, I try to avoid events that start later than 10am.

Myself I always plan on tournaments being an 'all day' affair. I might make it home for dinner, but I don't plan on it.

Myself I always plan on tournaments being an 'all day' affair. I might make it home for dinner, but I don't plan on it.

I always find myself home for dinner; whether I planned it or not.

Cheers

Baaa

You could always attend, play 3 matches, get your C3PO then bow out.

Those wins or losses will still be good experience, and drop-outs happen all the time. As long as they're before the elimination rounds, drop-outs usually don't have a detrimental impact.

Yeah there's an event starting at 12pm here next month and they have said 10pm could be the end time depending on numbers. So 6pm is a big no.

I generally try to avoid tourney's that start after 11:00. I prefer a 9:00-9:15 registration and a 10:00 Start.

That makes:

Round 1 10:00 am-11:15

Round 2 11:30-12:45

Lunch till 1:30

Round 3 1:30 - 2:45

Round 4 3:00-4:15.

Pack up, Tell lies why you lost, and Prizes till 4:45.

Wife Agro avoided cause you told her you would be home for Date night by 5:30 for a shower and a shave.

Hawk tell that is pretty much my goal for a tournament.

I do want the 3P0 so if there are not too many attending I may just do as zerotc suggests. I think you are right about the experience.

Great answers from everyone!

15 mins between rounds allows for result entry, pairings and time to go to the bathroom. We had many games at the SC I attended go to time. TO verfied the winners of each round prior to finalizing the next pairing. In a few cases, there were mistakes on the sheets and he kept it from messing things up. 6 hours to complete 4 rounds and then move to a final 4 cut.

I think the minimum you will see in store championships is four rounds, with a likely cut to top 4. Plus I'm pretty sure the top 4 (or 8 in some cases) are untimed matches too. Although that might be up to the discretion of the venue.

Only the final final final game of the elimination rounds is untimed

Based on 32 players with 10 min breaks and a lunch its at least 12 hours. Probably later.

There's a store championship near me I want to attend. It starts at 12. How long do these things go on for? I need to leave no later than 6pm. Is this a realistic expectation?

realistically no if you have to leave by 6