then click on LAUNCH THE RANDOM DRAW to start.
📖 User manual & detailed features
Random mêlée from A to Z: every setting, every button, every rule.
- What is a random mêlée?
- Tournament settings
- Game format
- Handling leftovers
- Number of players, games, bye points
- Player entry
- Launch the random draw
- Enter the scores
- Round by round to the champion
- Bye teams
- The ranking
- Backup & recovery
- Export / Import
- Clear everything
- How the draw works
- Frequently asked questions
At the top of the list, two buttons: 📄 Template (downloads a file
.txt of example, already commented, to fill in) and 📥 Import (loads your file and fills the list automatically).Format: one player per line —
Player name; License (the licence is optional).Word → "Save as → Plain text (.txt)". Excel → "Save as → CSV". The separator (
;, comma or tab) is detected automatically; empty lines and those starting with # are ignored.
1. What is a random mêlée?
This software organizes a pétanque competition in mêlée format : at each round, the teams are redrawn at random. The system does its best to prevent the same players from playing again together (as teammates) or against each other (as opponents). The ranking is individual : each player scores their own points.
2. Tournament settings
Organizer / Club & Date
Optional fields that appear at the top of the official PDF and are saved in the backup.
3. Game format
Buttons Singles / Doubles / Triples : they determine the number of players per team (1, 2 or 3) formed each round.
4. Managing remaining players
When the number of players doesn't divide evenly, two options (in doublette/triplette):
- Mandatory byes — random draw : the extra players are given a bye for the round (they don't play but receive a points bonus). The software prioritizes those who have been given a bye the least often.
- Mix doubles + triples : instead of giving byes, the software mixes doubles and triples so that everyone plays. E.g.: 14 players in triplette → 4 triplettes + 1 doublette.
5. Number of players, games and points for exempts
| Setting | Role | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Number of players | How many entry lines to show on the left. | from 4 to 64 (2 in tête-à-tête) |
| Number of games | How many rounds the tournament will last. At the last round, the champion is designated. | from 2 to 6 |
| Exempt points | The points awarded to an exempted player in a round (fictitious win). | from 0 to 13 (13 by default) |
Under these settings, a box "Planned distribution" explains in real time what your configuration will produce.
6. Player entry
The left column "Players list" fills in automatically based on the chosen number. For each player: Name + Licence (optional; a default name is used if empty).
7. Launch the mêlée
The yellow button LAUNCH THE RANDOM DRAW — ROUND 1 reads the players and forms the 1stst round at random.
8. Entering the scores
A match cannot end in a tie. As soon as it is valid, the winner moves to green with the label Winner and the ranking updates.
9. Round by round until the champion
When all matches in a round are entered, the badge Round complete appears, then:
- If games remain: the blue button LAUNCH NEXT ROUND — NEW RANDOM DRAW.
- At the last round: the banner "TOURNAMENT FINISHED — WINNER" + the button GENERATE OFFICIAL PDF.
If a pair has already been teammates, an orange warning flags it (only when unavoidable).
10. Exempt teams
If the count doesn't divide evenly, one or more players (or a team) are given a bye : they don't play but receive a win with the "Exempt points" bonus (13-0 by default). The draw favours those who have been exempted the least often.
11. The ranking
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| V | Wins (an exempt counts as a win) |
| D | Losses |
| BP | Bowls / points for (scored) |
| BC | Bowls / points against (conceded) |
| Diff | Difference BP − BC |
Order: first wins, then the difference (Diff), then points scored (BP). The top 3 get a gold / silver / bronze badge.
12. Automatic backup & recovery
The tournament is saved automatically in the browser after each score and each round. If you close the page and come back, everything reloads by itself. The button 💾 Save forces an immediate save with confirmation.
13. Export / Import
Backup file (.json) — recommended
- ⬇️ Export (file) : downloads a file
.jsonwith the whole competition (to transfer to another PC). - ⬆️ Import (file) : reloads a
.jsonexported and restores everything.
Via the PDF (hidden save)
- EXPORT THE PDF : generates the official PDF and and hides the full save inside it.
- IMPORT A PDF : re-reads one of these PDFs to recover the competition.
14. Print
The button 🖨️ Print opens the print window directly with a clean PDF (without the browser headers/footers), black on white, economical on ink.
15. Clear everything
The button 🗑️ Clear all clears the tournament and the browser save, after confirmation. Export the file .json before if you want to keep a record of it.
16. How the draw works (for the curious)
Each round, the software tests dozens of compositions and keeps the best one:
- Avoid repeated teammates : it favours teams where the players have not already played together.
- Avoid playing the same opponents again : when pairing the teams, it looks for new matchups.
- Fair byes : if someone has to be given a bye, it is first the one who has had it the least often.
A measure of chance remains (it's a mêlée!), framed by these fairness rules.
17. Frequently asked questions
I closed the page, did I lose everything?
No: resume is automatic on the same browser. If in doubt, export the file .json.
Can I change the number of games along the way?
Yes. Change "Number of games": the display and the end of the competition adapt accordingly.
Can I mix doubles and triples?
Yes, with the "Mix doublettes + triplettes" option (except in tête-à-tête), so that everyone plays without an exempt.
Is it all free?
Yes, 100% free, offered by Paquita from petanqueland.fr. 🎯