For organizers · 5 min read
Running a bracket competition — judge & referee guide
As a judge or referee on a bracket competition, you need three things: the run order (schedule), who's competing in each match, and a way to mark a match done so the bracket advances. Here's how each works in CommunATI, for every bracket format.
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Finding the judge queue
Go to your event's admin page → Competitions → choose the competition → Judge Queue.
The judge queue shows every match organised into four sections:
- Now Playing — matches that are currently active
- On Deck — the next match ready to start
- Upcoming — future matches, including ones where the competitors are still TBD (waiting on an earlier result)
- Completed — finished matches with their results
Tip: Keep the Judge Queue open on a tablet or laptop at the scoring table. It refreshes automatically.
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Schedule / run order
The queue shows matches in bracket order — round 1 first, then round 2, and so on. For events with multiple fields, you can filter by field using the field selector at the top of the queue (e.g. Field 1, Field 2).
If your event uses an event schedule (fixed time blocks for each match), those appear on the Event Schedule board on the paired TV and in the Schedule section of the event page.
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Who's competing in each match
Every match card in the Judge Queue shows both competitors by their display name and competitor number — never a student's real name. If a slot shows "TBD", that competitor is waiting on the result of an earlier match. Once that match is recorded, the slot fills automatically.
On the paired Apple TV, the Live Match board shows the same information in large format — current match on the main panel, upcoming matches in the sidebar. This is useful on a field or arena display where competitors and spectators can see what's next.
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Marking a match complete (recording a result)
- In the Judge Queue, find the match under "Now Playing" or "On Deck."
- Tap Record result.
- Select the winner. Optionally enter numeric scores for each side.
- Tap Confirm.
CommunATI immediately:
- Marks the match complete
- Places the winner into their next match slot
- Updates the bracket on the TV displays
- Writes to the competition audit log
Correcting a mistake: tap the match again and choose Override result. Enter a note explaining the change — this is logged for accountability.
Forfeit: tap Record result → Forfeit → select which competitor forfeited and why. The other competitor automatically advances.
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How each bracket format advances
Single elimination
One loss = out. The winner of each match moves to the next match slot in the bracket. When the final match is recorded, the competition is complete. Then go to the competition's admin page and tap Finalize to lock in placements and trigger the awards computation.
Double elimination
Each competitor stays alive until they lose twice.
- A winners bracket loss routes the competitor to the losers bracket (same match structure, different side).
- A losers bracket loss is elimination.
- The winners bracket champion and the losers bracket champion meet in a Grand Final. If the losers-side team wins, a reset match is automatically generated — because the winners-side team has zero losses at that point, so one loss makes it even.
CommunATI handles the loser routing and the reset match automatically — you just record results.
Round robin
Every competitor plays every other competitor. There are no advancement slots — all matches are peers. When all matches are recorded, CommunATI computes standings from win percentage (and head-to-head tiebreakers if configured). Then finalize the competition to lock placements.
Pools → Playoff
Phase 1 — Pool play: Competitors are split into pools (e.g. Pool A, Pool B). Each pool runs its own round-robin. Record results the same way — the Pool Standings board on the TV updates automatically.
Phase 2 — Playoff: Once all pool matches are done, an event admin must manually seed the playoff bracket from the pool standings:
- Go to the competition's admin page → Format.
- Choose how many competitors advance per pool.
- Tap Seed playoff bracket (mode: keep).
- The bracket generates and the Judge Queue switches to bracket mode.
Flag (gap): There is no automatic "pool phase complete" detector — an admin must trigger the playoff seed manually. This is intentional (in case of ties or protests), but it means someone needs to be watching for when all pool matches are done.
Qualifying → Alliance Playoff (FRC / VEX style)
Qualifying phase: All competitors play a set of round-robin qualifying matches. Record results normally. CommunATI computes a ranking from the results.
Alliance selection: An admin must manually complete the alliance selection process (teams pick partners), then generate the playoff bracket from the alliances. This is currently done via the competition admin page; the alliance selection UI is a product gap flagged for a future release.
Playoff phase: Once the playoff bracket is generated, the Judge Queue works the same as single elimination.
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TV display — Live Match board
When a bracket competition is running, push the Live Match board to any paired Apple TV:
- From the TV management page (event admin → TVs), select a TV.
- Choose Live Match and select the competition.
- The TV switches to the match queue display — NOW PLAYING (current match, both competitors, scores if entered), NEXT UP (upcoming matches in order), and COMPLETED (recent results).
The board polls for updates every 5 seconds. You can also trigger it via the admin API: POST /api/admin/tvs/live-match with { event_id, competition_id }.
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After the competition
When all matches are recorded, go to the competition's admin page and tap Finalize competition. This:
- Locks in final placements (1st, 2nd, 3rd…)
- Triggers advancement rules (if this competition feeds into a larger event)
- Sends placement notification emails to competitors
Then use Compute awards on the event page to generate the awards run-sheet.
