1. Overview

This software organises a pétanque tournament as a "random draw" : at each round, the teams are redrawn at random, and the system avoids, as much as possible, the same players playing together again or facing each other twice. The ranking is individual (each player scores their own points), plus a team ranking when playing in formed teams.

Everything happens at the top of the page: you set up the tournament, enter the players on the left, launch, enter the scores, and the ranking updates live.

2. Tournament settings

Organiser / Club

The name of your club or organiser. It appears on the official PDF and is saved in the backup.

Tournament date

The date (free text, e.g. 08/15/2026). It also appears on the PDF.

3. Team mode

Two choices, via the buttons Random / Formed :

• Random (pure random draw): you enter a list of individual players. At each round, the software forms the teams itself at random. This is the true "random draw" mode.
• Formed : you enter already-formed teams (the same teammates at each round). Only the opponents change at each round. A team ranking is then added automatically.

4. Game format

Buttons Singles / Doubles / Triples :

• Singles : 1 player per team.
• Doubles : 2 players per team.
• Triples : 3 players per team.

In Randommode, this format determines the size of the teams formed at each round. In Formedmode, it determines the number of entry boxes per team.

5. Handling leftovers

When the number of players does not divide evenly, you have to decide what to do with the "leftovers". Two options (Random mode, doubles/triples only):

• Mandatory byes — random draw : the extra players are given a bye for the round (they do not play but receive a points bonus, see "Points for byes"). The software prioritises those who have been given a bye the least often, so that it is fair.
• Mix doubles + triples : instead of giving byes, the software mixes doubles and triples so that everyone plays. Example: 14 players in triples → 4 triples + 1 doubles.

6. Number of players, games and bye points

Under these settings, a box "Planned distribution" explains in real time what your configuration will produce (how many byes, how many doubles/triples, number of rounds…).

7. Entering players

The left column "Players list" fills in by itself according to the chosen number. For each player (Random mode):

• Player name and Licence (optional; a default name is used if blank).
• Role : Shooter, Pointing or Middle (only one at a time — clicking a role unchecks the others).
• Female and Child : checkboxes.

This information is used to balance the teams : the software tries not to put two shooters together, and to distribute the female players / children (see section 16).

8. Launch the random draw

The yellow button LAUNCH THE RANDOM DRAW — ROUND 1 starts the tournament: it reads the entered players, forms the 1st^st round and displays the matches on the right.

9. Enter the scores

Each match shows the left team, the score area in the centre, the right team. Three ways to enter:

Validation rules

• Score between 0 and 13.
• No ties : a match cannot end in a tie (a red message reminds you).
• As long as a match is not valid, the round is not considered "complete".

As soon as a match is valid, the winning team turns green with the label Winner, and the ranking updates immediately.

10. Round by round to the champion

When all the matches in a round have a valid score, a badge Round complete appears, and at the bottom of the round:

• If there are games left to play: the blue button LAUNCH NEXT ROUND — NEW RANDOM DRAW creates the next round (new draw).
• At the last round: a green banner "TOURNAMENT FINISHED — WINNER" is shown, with the button GENERATE OFFICIAL PDF.

If the same pair has already been teammates, an orange warning "Partners already seen together" flags it (this only happens if it is mathematically unavoidable).

11. The rankings

Under the rounds, the ranking is shown with two tabs. In formed teams, the team ranking appears first (default tab), and the individual ranking right next to it in the 2nd^e tab. In random draw (without fixed teams), only the individual ranking is shown.

🏆 Team ranking (shown first)

In Formed teams (doubles or triples), each team accumulates the results of its games, with the same columns as the individual ranking below.

👤 Individual ranking

Each player scores their own points. Columns:

Ranking order : first the number of wins, then the difference (Diff), then the points scored (BP). The top 3 have a gold / silver / bronze badge.

12. Automatic backup & recovery

The tournament is saved automatically in your browser after each score or each new round. If you close the tab by mistake and come back to the page, everything is reloaded by itself (players, scores, rounds, settings).

The button 💾 Save forces an immediate save and shows a confirmation.

13. Export / Import

Backup file (.json) — recommended

• ⬇️ Export (file) : downloads a file .json containing the whole tournament. To keep safely or to transfer to a USB stick / another PC.
• ⬆️ Import (file) : reloads a file .json previously exported and restores everything identically.

Via the PDF (hidden save)

• EXPORT THE PDF : generates the official PDF and secretly hides the full tournament backup in it.
• IMPORT A PDF : rereads one of these PDFs to recover the tournament. Handy if you only kept the PDF.

14. Print

The button 🖨️ Print opens the print window directly with a clean PDF (the same as the export), without the unsightly browser headers and footers. A4 layout, black on white, economical on ink and clearly readable.

The PDF contains: a table per round (Team A / Score / Team B / Winner), the byes, and the final ranking.

15. Clear everything

The button 🗑️ Clear all clears the current tournament and the browser backup, after a confirmation prompt. Use it to start again from a completely blank page.

16. How the draw works (for the curious)

At each round, in Random mode, the software tests dozens of compositions and keeps the best one according to these priorities:

• Avoid shooters together : it tries not to place two shooters in the same team.
• Distribute female players and children : it avoids grouping several "protected" players (female / child) in the same team.
• 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.

That is why the same draw can give different compositions: there is an element of chance, framed by these fairness rules.

17. Frequently asked questions

I closed the page, did I lose everything?

No: resume is automatic. Reopen the page on the same browser, the tournament comes back. If in doubt, export the file regularly .json.

Can I change the number of games along the way?

Yes. Change "Number of games": the display and the end of the tournament adapt (as long as you have not exceeded the new total).

How much does a bye score?

The bonus defined in "Points for byes" (13-0 by default), counted as a win.

Can I mix doubles and triples?

Yes, with the "Mix doubles + triples" option (in Random mode, excluding singles), so that everyone plays without a bye.

Is the PDF free?

Yes, everything is 100% free, offered by Paquita from petanqueland.fr. 🎯