After a tournament concludes, USCF publishes the results in a format called a crosstable. It's a compact record of every game played — who faced whom, what color each player had, and what the result was. For anyone following tournament results or researching a player's history, knowing how to read a crosstable is a useful skill.
What a Crosstable Looks Like
A basic crosstable is a grid. Rows represent players, typically listed in order of final standing. Columns contain the pairing number of each opponent faced in each round, plus the result.
Here's a simplified example for a 5-round Swiss:
| # | Name | Rtng | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith, A | 1850 | W12 | W8 | W3 | D2 | W5 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Jones, B | 1790 | W15 | W6 | W9 | D1 | W4 | 4.0 |
| 3 | Lee, C | 1820 | W11 | W7 | L1 | W8 | W6 | 4.0 |
Decoding Each Cell
Each cell in the results columns contains two pieces of information: the result and the opponent's pairing number.
The letter indicates the result:
- W — Win
- L — Loss
- D — Draw
- U — Unplayed (opponent withdrew or had a bye)
- B — Full-point bye (assigned by the tournament director)
- H — Half-point bye (requested by the player)
The number is the pairing number of the opponent in that round (not their rank or rating — their assigned pairing number for the tournament).
So "W8" in Round 1 means: the player won against the player with pairing number 8.
Color Information
Some crosstable formats include color information alongside the result:
- W8 in a bold or uppercase format may indicate White pieces (varies by system)
- Many USCF crosstables use lowercase for Black and uppercase for White: "W8" means won as White against player 8, "w8" means won as Black against player 8
This convention isn't universal across all software, so check the legend or header if you're unsure. The color information matters primarily for rating calculations and for players reviewing their own game histories.
Finding a Player's Path Through the Tournament
To trace a specific player's tournament:
- Find their row and note their pairing number (the leftmost column, labeled #)
- Read across the result columns left to right — each column is one round
- Look up any opponent by finding the row with that pairing number
For example, if player 3 (Lee, C) has "W11" in Round 1, you'd find pairing number 11 in the table to see who Lee beat in that round.
Rating and Tiebreak Columns
After the round-by-round results, crosstables typically include:
- Total: Final score in points
- Tiebreak columns: One or more tiebreak scores used to separate players with equal totals (Solkoff, Cumulative, Modified Median, etc.)
- Post-event rating: The player's new calculated rating after the tournament
Some formats also show the pre-tournament rating next to the player's name for comparison.
Bye and Withdrawal Notations
If a player withdrew partway through the event, their remaining rounds may show a dash (–) or a "U" for unplayed. Players who requested half-point byes will have an "H" in the corresponding round column and receive 0.5 toward their total.
Players who were given a full-point bye because of an odd number in their score group will show "B" and receive 1.0 toward their total.
Where to Find Crosstables
USCF crosstables for rated events are publicly available in the USCF member area at uschess.org. Most tournaments appear in the database within a few days of the event's conclusion. You can search by event name, player name, or membership number.
Chess Results Server (chess-results.com) also hosts crosstables for many FIDE-rated and international events, using a slightly different display format but the same fundamental structure.