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Track B · Article 3 · 3 min
Why am I 4th if I won more matches than 3rd?
Because in Americano play the column that rules is Pts — and Pts are the games you won, not the matches. Whoever adds up more games ranks higher, even having won fewer matches.
In 30 seconds
- In Americano play, Pts = games won. Wins only break ties later.
- A game earned in a loss counts too: losing 4×3 still gets you 3 points.
- The list never ends tied: as a last resort, the order comes from the name and an internal code.
The math, with an example
In an 8-player Americano, everyone plays 7 matches. Say you won four, all of them 4×3 — that's 16 games from your wins. The third-place player won three, all of them 4×0 — 12 games from wins. So far it looks like you're ahead.
Except the score from your losses also goes into the sum. If you lost your three matches 0×4, your Pts stop at 16. If he lost his four 3×4, he adds another 12 and closes at 24. Result: him 24, you 16 — he ranks above you with one win fewer.
It's the classic Americano yardstick: whoever fights for every game, winning or losing, climbs. Whoever wins comfortably but gives away too many games in losses, drops.
The full tiebreak order
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1
Games won (Pts)
Every game you produced, in wins and in losses. Each game your pair takes that round counts for both players in the pair.
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2
Wins (W)
Tied on games? Whoever won more matches ranks higher.
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3
Game balance (GD)
Games won minus games conceded.
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4
Name, and last of all an internal code
If everything above is identical — same points, same wins, same balance — the order comes from the name, alphabetically. It's rare, and it exists so the list is never left without an answer.
Only finished matches, with a winner and a saved score, go into the math. A pending match moves nobody in the ranking.
What goes wrong here
- “Points = games won by the player across all matches.” — the fixed notice at the top of the Americano list. Not an error: in this format, Pts and GW show the same number on purpose.
- Where's the medal? The list is called “Individual standings” while the tournament is running — it's a provisional ranking. Gold, silver and bronze only appear after the organizer finishes.
- “I tied on everything and the app decided on its own.” — yes: with identical points, wins and balance, the order comes from the name. In Americano play you'll never see “Empate manual pendente” (pending manual tiebreak) — that's a Fixed Pairs thing.
Why it works this way
In Americano play your partner changes every round. A win says as much about who played with you as it does about you — which is why it can't be the first criterion. Games measure your contribution across all matches, tight or comfortable, with any partner. And because the cascade ends in criteria that never tie (name and code), the standings are always complete and finishing the tournament never gets stuck on a tie.
See also
Version 1.0 in closed beta on TestFlight. We email you when a spot opens — nothing else.