Help Center Chief Referee Guide

Chief Referee Guide

Oversee all match officiating — manage the draw, call matches, validate scores, resolve disputes, and publish final results with authority and precision.

8 sections ~12 min read Video tutorials included
Step 1

Accept Your Assignment

The Tournament Owner invites you as Chief Referee. Here's how to accept and get started.

1
Receive the invitation

You'll get a push notification and email from the Tournament Owner: "You've been invited as Chief Referee for [Tournament Name]."

2
Review tournament details

Tap the notification to open the invitation. Review the event name, dates, venue, and number of categories before accepting.

3
Tap Accept

Once accepted, the Referee Dashboard for this tournament is added to your app. You'll have access to all referee tools immediately.

You must have an active TT Stars account to accept a staff invitation. Ensure your account profile is complete before accepting.
Staff Invitation
Invitation
Chief Referee Invitation
State Open 2026 · May 12–14
State Open 2026
12 categories · 148 players
Accept
Decline
Step 2

Pre-Tournament Checklist

Complete these tasks before the event starts to ensure a smooth tournament day.

1
Review all categories

Open each category and verify the format, group size, advancement rules, and entry counts. Flag any configuration issues to the Tournament Owner.

2
Confirm staff roster

Check that all organizers and helpers have accepted their invitations. Contact the Tournament Owner to re-invite anyone who hasn't accepted.

3
Set dispute window

Configure the dispute window duration (how long after a match players can raise a dispute). Typical values are 15–30 minutes.

4
Assign helpers to tables

In Staff → Table Assignments, assign each helper to specific tables or a pool of tables they'll be responsible for during the event.

Step 3

Review & Publish Draw

The draw is generated by the system. Review it carefully before notifying players.

1
Generate the draw

Go to Draw → [Category] → Generate. The system seeds players by rating and distributes them to avoid same-club early round clashes.

2
Review seedings

Inspect the bracket to ensure seedings are correct. Compare against the official entry list. Use the Player Info panel to verify each entrant's rating.

3
Make manual adjustments

Drag players to different positions in the bracket if needed. The system shows a warning if a move violates ITTF/federation seeding guidelines.

4
Publish draw

Tap Publish. All registered players are notified instantly. Once published, the bracket is visible on the public tournament page.

Publish draws one category at a time. This gives you time to review each before sending notifications to players.
Step 4

Call Matches

Coordinate match flow across all tables in real time.

1
Open Match Scheduler

Go to Referee Dashboard → Schedule → Ready to Call. This shows the next batch of matches that can be called based on table availability and match dependencies.

2
Assign table and call

Assign an available table to each match and tap Call Match. Both players receive a push notification: "Your match is ready — Table [X]."

3
Monitor acknowledgments

Players can tap On My Way to acknowledge. You see a real-time status: Called → Acknowledged → In Progress → Complete.

4
No-show protocol

If a player doesn't acknowledge within the no-show window, the system flags the match. You can issue a warning, extend the call, or rule a walkover.

Match Scheduler
Match SchedulerDay 1
ReadyCalledLiveDone
Men's Singles R32
Pawan J. vs Rahul M.
Call T3
Women's Singles R16
Priya S. vs Meena T.
Call T1
Men's Doubles R16
Depends on R32 result
Waiting
Step 5

Validate Scores

As Chief Referee, you are the final authority on all match scores before they are committed to the bracket.

1
Score entry by helpers

Helpers enter scores at each table in real time. As they submit game results, you see them appear in the Referee → Live Scores view.

2
Anomaly alerts

The system auto-flags unusual scores (e.g., a score of 11–0 in every game, or a 12–10 game without proper deuce entry). Review these before confirming.

3
Override a score

Open any submitted match, tap Override Score, and enter the corrected game score. A reason is logged for audit purposes.

4
Finalize the match

Once correct, tap Confirm & Advance. The winner is moved to the next round automatically and both players receive their result notification.

Step 6

Handle Disputes

A player dispute halts result finalization. Resolve it promptly to keep the tournament on schedule.

1
Receive dispute alert

You immediately get an urgent push notification and a red alert banner on the Referee Dashboard when a player raises a dispute.

2
Review the match log

Open the dispute. The match log shows every score entry — who entered what, and when. Compare the player's claim against the log.

3
Issue your ruling

Tap Uphold Dispute to correct the score, or Dismiss Dispute to confirm the original score. Your ruling is logged and both players are notified.

4
Walkover & Forfeit

For no-shows or player misconduct, open the match and tap Issue Walkover or Issue Forfeit. Choose the advancing player and add a reason note.

All dispute rulings, overrides, and walkovers are permanently logged in the tournament audit trail and visible to the Tournament Owner.
Step 7

Finalize Results

Once all matches in a category are complete, publish the final standings.

1
Verify 100% completion

The Finalize button is only enabled when all matches show a confirmed result. Check the Pending column for any unresolved matches.

2
Publish category results

Tap Finalize Category. The podium (1st, 2nd, 3rd/4th) is calculated, the leaderboard is published, and ranking points are queued for update.

3
Notify the Owner

The Tournament Owner receives an automatic notification when each category is finalized. They can then proceed to close the tournament once all categories are done.

Video Tutorials

Watch & Learn

Chief Referee video walkthroughs.

Referee Dashboard
Referee Dashboard Walkthrough

Overview of all referee tools and panels.

~7 min
Disputes
Handling Score Disputes

Step-by-step dispute resolution workflow.

~5 min
Draw & Finalize
Draw Review & Finalizing Results

Generate draw, adjust seedings, and finalize.

~6 min
FAQ

Chief Referee FAQ

Can I be Chief Referee for multiple tournaments at the same time?

Yes. Your Referee Dashboard has a tournament switcher to manage multiple events. However, note that your notifications will be shared across all active tournaments, so ensure you have the capacity to handle disputes promptly for each event.

What if a player refuses to accept a dispute ruling?

The Chief Referee's ruling is final within the TT Stars platform. Players may escalate to their national federation through their standard appeals process, but the tournament result in TT Stars is locked once you issue a ruling.

Can I issue a walkover for a player who was disqualified on disciplinary grounds?

Yes. Open the player's match, tap Issue Walkover → Disciplinary, and add detailed notes. The Tournament Owner is automatically notified and the record is permanently logged.

Can I delegate score validation to organizers?

Score entry is handled by helpers. Validation (override/dispute resolution) is exclusively a Chief Referee permission and cannot be delegated to organizers or helpers.

Guides for other roles
Help Home Player Tournament Owner Organizer Helper

Questions about officiating?

Contact our support team for guidance on complex ruling scenarios.

Contact Support

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